Electrical conduction of carbon nanotubes due to the migration of protons over their surface

The results of the theoretical calculation of the proton conductivity tensor for single-walled carbon nanotubes are presented. The electronic structure of the objects under investigation is considered within the band model in the approximation of an ideal proton Fermi gas. The temperature dependence of the proton contribution to the static longitudinal conductivity σ of the carbon nanotube is obtained using the Green’s function method. The function σ( T ) for all the carbon nanotubes under consideration exhibits a characteristic behavior that is inherent in conductors. The differences in the conductivity curves for zigzagtype carbon nanotubes with the chirality indices both multiple and not multiple of three are predicted.