Modifications of Richardson-Dushman Thermionic Emission Current Density Equation for Nano- Materials
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The noble prize winning Richardson-Dushman
equation (RDE) had been found to be quite applicable for
thermionic emission from metals as far as temperature variation
is concerned except the fact that the thermionic emission
constant vary from metal to metal contrary to the original
equation. We have derived expression for the temperature (T)
dependence of work function (W) of a material considering
thermal expansion and variation of the chemical potential with
temperature. We find that the calculated dW/dT as well as the
effective thermionic emission constant, Aeff of metals are fairly in
good agreement with experimental results of many metals. We
then modify the RDE by using temperature dependent work
function and report the excellent fitting of thermionic emission
current density data from monolayer graphene with our
modified equation. We discuss briefly the potential application of
the modified Richardson Dushman equation for thermionic
emission from nano-materials. The latter will appear in details in
paper II.
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QC Physics