Comparison of field emission performances and durability of three nanocarbon materials

The performances and operation lifetime of field emission (FE) cathodes made by spray-coating three different nanocarbon materials-carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene (GE), and carbon nanocoils (CNCs)-were compared. Though CNTs had the benefits of the lowest turn-on field, CNCs exhibited the most stable cycle-to-cycle repeatability and a significantly longer life than CNTs and GE under a continuous high-current-density operation. The microscopic morphology and Raman spectra of these nanocarbon emitters before and after the 50-h life tests were examined in order to understand the damage mechanism and the cause of their distinct performance decay behaviors. The results indicated that CNCs, whose diameters are significantly larger than those of CNTs and the thickness of GE, can withstand the thermal effects of high current density with the least degree of damage in the morphology and microstructure. According to our performance and life tests, CNTs are most suitable for low-voltage small-current FE applications because of their highest field enhancement factor and lowest turn-on field, while CNCs are a more favorable candidate for high-voltage long-term applications such as FE x-ray tubes.