We have modified Richardson-Dushman equation considering thermal expansion of lattice and change of chemical potential with temperature in material. The corresponding modified Richardson-Dushman equation (MRDE) fits quite well the experimental data of thermo-electronic current density (J) vs T from carbon nanotubes. It provides a unique technique for accurate determination of work function Wo, Fermi energy, EFo at 0 K and linear thermal expansion coefficient of carbon nanotube in good agreement with experiment. From the value of EFo we obtain the charge carrier density in excellent agreement with experiment. We describe application of the equations for the evaluation of performance of concentrated solar thermionic energy converter (STEC) with emitter made of carbon nanotube for future applications.

Date Published: 15 September 2016
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 9927, Nanoengineering: Fabrication, Properties, Optics, and Devices XIII, 992716 (15 September 2016);

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9927:
Nanoengineering: Fabrication, Properties, Optics, and Devices XIII
Eva M. Campo; Elizabeth A. Dobisz; Louay A. Eldada, Editor(s)