Effect of an intersection of carbon nanotubes on the carrier accumulation under an external electric field

Abstract

We studied the electronic structure of semiconducting carbon nanotube (CNT) thin films, in which CNTs intersect each other, under an external electric field, using first-principles total-energy calculations within the framework of the density functional theory. Our calculations show that the distribution of accumulated carriers strongly depends on the CNT species, their mutual arrangement with respect to the electrode, and carrier concentrations. Under particular conditions, an induced electric field between the CNTs is opposite to the applied field. We also showed that the quantum capacitance of the CNT thin films depends on the arrangement of the CNTs relative to the electrode.