Choong-Ki Lee et al 2007 Nanotechnology 18 475706 doi:10.1088/0957-4484/18/47/475706
Choong-Ki Lee1, Bora Lee1, Jisoon Ihm2 and Seungwu Han1,3
Show affiliationsWe study the field-emission properties of an ultrathin silver nanowire using first-principles methods. The simulation and analysis of the field emission are carried out based on density-functional theory using a localized basis scheme. Through the explicit time evolution of wavefunctions, we obtain the emission currents and spatial distributions of emitted electrons from a silver nanowire. In contrast to carbon nanotubes, the localized states are not found. Instead, pronounced emission currents are observed for s-like extended states that are free of nodes in a plane normal to the field direction, and the total emission currents of a silver nanowire are found to be significantly larger than those of carbon nanotubes. A quantum-mechanical analysis is presented to explain the observed current enhancement. On the other hand, an ultrathin gold nanowire gives much smaller emission currents than the silver nanowire due to a larger work function.
79.70.+q Field emission, ionization, evaporation, and desorption
71.15.Mb Density functional theory, local density approximation, gradient and other corrections
Issue 47 (28 November 2007)
Received 18 July 2007, in final form 16 September 2007
Published 19 October 2007
Choong-Ki Lee et al 2007 Nanotechnology 18 475706
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