Magnetic properties of multiwall carbon nanotubes and astralenes in strong electric fields

The force interaction between anode and cathode in the process of field-emission current extraction from cathodes based on carbon nanoclusters—carbon nanotubes and astralenes—has been investigated. The measured forces are linear functions of the field-emission current and significantly exceed the forces conditioned by the electrostatic nature of interaction. The observed effect is explained within the framework of a model that suggests the formation of magnetic nanoclusters in the cathode and the emission of polarized electrons.