Structural change of ion-induced carbon nanofibers by electron current flow

A graphite foil was irradiated with argon (Ar⁺) ions to fabricate conical structures with a carbon nanofiber (CNF) on top of the structure. The field emission (FE) properties of one-dimensional individual CNF-tipped cones that had been fabricated were carefully measured by in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) facilities. The highest FE current, 550 nA, was observed in the current-voltage (I-V) measurement of a single CNF. Almost no degradation in I-V properties were detected during the reliability test after 30 min. TEM images indicated that the CNF was amorphous in nature initially, and that the electron current flow in the FE process induced the dramatic change in the crystalline structure of both the CNF and of the tip region of the basal cone part. After performing the FE process, the crystalline structures of the amorphous CNFs were transformed into ring-shaped graphene layers, whereas nanodiamond like nanoparticles formed in the outer layer of the tip region of the basal cone. The structural changes induced can be attributed to Joule heating under the high electric field.