Electron Emission Sites on Carbon Nanotubes and the Energy Spectra.

Two kinds of electron emission sites on carbon nanotubes have been clarified; one is a nanoprotrusion exhibiting deformed honeycomb structures composed of carbon hexagons,pentagons and possibly heptagons. The other is either an edged species or adsorbates. The emission spectra show two characteristic features; a broad main peak as compared with theoretical curves based on Fowler-Nordheim theory, and an additional shoulder at about 0.5 eV from EF, of which the features are observed independent of the emission direction. The broad main peak may indicate that energy band bending occurs near the emission sites.