The Luttinger-liquid behavior in single-walled carbon nanotube networks

Changes in the carrier transport properties of individually dispersed single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) random networks caused by changes in the network structure through the removal of the surfactant and electrical breakdown of highly conductive paths were investigated. Electrical breakdown of SWNT networks caused the Luttinger-liquid-like transport to emerge from the fluctuation-induced tunneling transport before the breakdown. The power-law exponent of the dependence of conductance on both temperature and bias voltage was increased as the breakdown proceeded. A possible mechanism of the phenomenon is discussed on the basis of the relationship between the exponent and the potential barrier between the SWNTs and metal contacts.

Research highlights► Electrical breakdown of SWNT networks caused the Luttinger-liquid-like transport. ► The power-law exponent was increased as the breakdown proceeded. ► The dependence of the exponent on the potential barrier at the electrode interface was discussed.