Magnetic field induced delocalization in multi-wall carbon nanotube-polystyrene composite at high fields

Abstract

In well dispersed multi-wall carbon nanotube-polystyrene composite of 15wt%, with room temperature conductivity of ∼5S/cm and resistivity ratio [R2K/R200K] of ∼1.4, the temperature dependence of conductivity follows a power-law behavior. The conductivity increases with magnetic field for a wide range of temperature (2–200K), and power-law fits to conductivity data show that localization length (ξ) increases with magnetic field, resulting in a large negative magnetoresistance (MR). At 50T, the negative MR at 8K is ∼13% and it shows a maximum at 90K (∼25%). This unusually large negative MR indicates that the field is delocalizing the charge carriers even at higher temperatures, apart from the smaller weak localization contribution at T<20K. This field-induced delocalization mechanism of MR can provide insight into the intra and inter tube transport.