Synthesis and field emission property of carbon nanotubes with sharp tips

Yan Li Zhang, Li Li Zhang, Peng Xiang Hou, Hua Jiang, Chang Liu*, Hui Ming Cheng

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

25 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with sharp tips were synthesized by a hydrogen arc discharge method. Three unusual morphologies, i.e., a cone-shaped tip, a suddenly-shrinking tip, and a pencil point-like tip were observed. These novel tip structures are considered to be related to the addition of a small amount of silicon powder in the raw material, which may introduce structural defects in the CNTs. The field emission property of the sharp-tip CNTs was investigated, and a low threshold electric field of 3.75V/m, a high field emission current density of ~1.6 × 105A/cm2, and a good emission stability were demonstrated. The superior field emission performance of the CNTs can be attributed to their good crystallinity and unique tip structures.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)52-56
Number of pages5
JournalXinxing Tan Cailiao/New Carbon Materials
Volume26
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2011
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Keywords

  • Carbon nanotubes
  • Field emission
  • Sharp tip

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