Metallic electrical transport in inter-graphitic planes of an individual tubular carbon nanocone.
Tubular carbon cones (TCCs) with a herring-bone-like graphitic structure are synthesized on gold wire via the bias-assisted hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) method. The electrical transport properties of an individual TCC are studied in the temperature range from 300 to 500 K by using a double probe scanning electron microscopy (DPSEM) in situ electrical measurement system. The high-resistance I-V characteristics of W-TCC-Au back-to-back double junctions show that electrons tunnel through the W-TCC junction, while thermoionic transport through the Au-TCC junction contributes to low-resistance properties. Temperature dependence of the electrical characteristics indicates that inter-graphitic-plane electrical transport in TCC is metallic.