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WS 2 Nanotubes: Electrical Conduction and Field Emission Under Electron Irradiation and Mechanical Stress
Author(s) -
Grillo Alessandro,
Passacantando Maurizio,
Zak Alla,
Pelella Aniello,
Di Bartolomeo Antonio
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.202002880
Subject(s) - field electron emission , materials science , tungsten , piezoresistive effect , irradiation , electrical resistivity and conductivity , electron , ultimate tensile strength , composite material , nanotechnology , electrical engineering , metallurgy , physics , quantum mechanics , nuclear physics , engineering
This study reports the electrical transport and the field emission properties of individual multi‐walled tungsten disulphide (WS 2 ) nanotubes (NTs) under electron beam irradiation and mechanical stress. Electron beam irradiation is used to reduce the nanotube‐electrode contact resistance by one‐order of magnitude. The field emission capability of single WS 2 NTs is investigated, and a field emission current density as high as 600 kA cm −2 is attained with a turn‐on field of ≈ 100 V μm −1 and field‐enhancement factor ≈ 50. Moreover, the electrical behavior of individual WS 2 NTs is studied under the application of longitudinal tensile stress. An exponential increase of the nanotube resistivity with tensile strain is demonstrated up to a recorded elongation of 12%, thereby making WS 2 NTs suitable for piezoresistive strain sensor applications.