Electron field emission enhancement of carbon nanowalls by plasma surface nitridation

Carbon nanowalls (CNWs) are two-dimensional carbon nanostructures consisting of stacked graphene sheets standing vertically on the substrate. The sharp edges of CNWs provide us with opportunities for applications as electron field emitter arrays. The effects of nitrogen plasma (NP) treatment on the surface of CNWs have been investigated in order to improve the electron field emission properties. The electron emission current from the edges of CNWs was drastically increased by the NP treatment. Morphological and chemical changes in the CNWs after the NP treatment were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3532114]