Field Emission from Hybrid Diamond-like Carbon and Carbon Nanotube Composite Structures

A thin diamond-like carbon (DLC) film was deposited onto a densely packed forest of vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes (VACNT). DLC deposition caused the tips of the CNTs to clump together to form a microstructured surface. Field-emission tests of this new composite material show the typical low threshold voltages for carbon nanotube structures (2 V mu m(-1)) but with greatly increased emission current, better stability, and longer lifetime.