Free standing graphene-diamond hybrid films and their electron emission properties

Free standing graphene-diamond hybrid films have been fabricated using saturated hydrocarbon polymers as seeding material by hot filament chemical vapor deposition technique. The films are characterized with x-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). The XRD shows the characteristic diffraction peaks of both diamond and graphene. The Raman spectrum shows the characteristic band of diamond at 1332 cm(-1) and D, G, and 2D bands of graphene at 1349, 1592, and 2687 cm(-1), respectively. Both SEM and TEM depict the presence of diamond and graphene in the films. The EELS recorded in the carbon K-edge region also shows the signature peaks of diamond and graphene. The free standing hybrid films exhibit a remarkably low turn-on field of about 2.4 V/mu m and a high emission current density of 0.1 mA/cm(2). Furthermore, emission currents are stable over the period of 7 days. The superior field emission characteristics of the free standing graphene-diamond hybrid films are attributed to the heat sink capability of diamond and high electrical conductivity of graphene. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3627370]