Boosting electronic transport in carbon nanotubes by isotopic disorder

Abstract

The current/voltage curve of metallic carbon nanotubes (CNTs) displays at high bias a sudden increase of the resistivity due to the scattering of electrons with phonons having an anomalously-high population (hot phonons). Here, we show that it is possible to improve the electrical performances of metallic CNTs by C13 isotope enrichment. In fact, isotopic disorder creates additional channels for the hot-phonon deexcitation, reduces their population and, thus, the nanotube high-bias differential-resistance. This is an extraordinary case where disorder improves the electronic transport.

4 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (5)

• Phonon anharmonicities in graphite and graphene
• Phonon Linewidths and Electron Phonon Coupling in Nanotubes
• Electron Transport and Hot Phonons in Carbon Nanotubes
• Cycloaddition Functionalizations to Preserve or Control the Conductance of Carbon Nanotubes
• Coupled dynamics of electrons and phonons in metallic nanotubes: current saturation from hot phonons generation