Computer simulation of electric field analysis for vertically aligned carbon nanotubes: I. Simulation method and computing model

This paper describes a computer simulation method and a computing model for electric field analysis of a vertically- aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) system by means of an improved three-dimensional boundary charge method (3-D BCM). A real VACNT system where the number of CNTs is as large as ten millions per 1 mm2 is modeled by 9x9 CNTs standing vertically on the cathode substrate. The whole conducting surface consisting of CNTs, the cathode substrate and the anode plate are divided into about 4000 small surface elements, which are found to be enough for reasonable accuracy in electric field calculation. It has also been confirmed that the electric field strength at the CNT apex in the real VACNT system is well represented by the electric field strength at the apex of the central CNT of the 9x9 CNT computing model.