Interelectrode bridging of carbon nanotube fibrous assembly induced by gas discharge breakdown

In this work, we demonstrate a fibrous assembly of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) induced by a gas discharge breakdown that bridge the distance between two planar electrodes. To achieve this, we placed the two planar electrodes, one of which was covered with a CNT film, in a chamber; a vacuum pump was used to evacuate the air from the chamber and replace it with inert gas. By then applying a voltage between the electrodes, we induced a discharge breakdown between them. This caused the CNTs coated on the electrode surface to detach and form fibrous assemblies. The assemblies elongated and reached the opposite electrode, thereby creating bridges between the electrodes. These bridges formed when the gas pressure was greater than ca. 1.0 × 103 Pa and in combination with the occurrence of a spark discharge. At lower pressures, a glow discharge occurred, and no bridge formation was observed, indicating that the discharge mode is critical for the bridge formation.