The use of camphor-grown carbon nanotube array as an efficient field emitter

Three-dimensional growth of well-aligned high-purity multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is achieved on silicon, nickel-coated silicon and cobalt-coated silicon substrates by thermal decomposition of a botanical carbon source, camphor, with different catalyst concentrations. Field emission study of as-grown nanotubes in a parallel-plate diode configuration suggests them to be an efficient emitter with a turn-on field of similar to 1 V/mu m (for 10 mu A/cm 2) and a threshold field of similar to 4 V/mu m (for 10 mA/CM2). Maximum current density lies in a range of 20-30 mA/cm 2 at 5.6 V/mu m with significant reversibility. Prolonged stability test of camphor-grown CNT emitters suggests a life time of similar to 5 months under continuous operation. A new feature, metal-assisted electron emission from CNTs, has been addressed. Isolated nanotubes used as a cold cathode in a field emission microscope reveal the pentagonal emission sites and hence the atomic structure of the nanotube tips. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.