A method of determining the physisorption energy of molecules on carbon nanostructures using field emission current fluctuation measurements is presented. A stochastic model, broken into birth and death processes, was applied to analyze the current fluctuation and determine the physisorption energy. This method yields a highly sensitive, precise determination of the physisorption energy of molecules, and we include the physisorption energies for various molecules on a graphene nanostructure.

• Received 15 November 2007

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.77.031611