Improved Field Emission Properties of Opened Carboxylated Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes on Flexible Carbon Cloth Substrate
In this study, well-aligned and very long multiwall carbon nanotube (MWNT) thin films were first grown on flexible carbon cloth by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPECVD) and then carboxylated by HNO3 solvent. After surface modification of HNO3,
the cap of MWNT was removed. The open-ended MWNT was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image. The field emission (FE) behaviors of as-grown and HNO3-modifed MWNT thin films have been investigated. The field emission measurement of carboxylated MWNTs showed
that a very low threshold voltage of 1.78 V/μm was required to reach the emission current of 1 mA/cm2. The improved field emission characteristics of carboxylated MWNTs can be attributed to the geometrical configuration of a well-aligned, high aspect ratio, open-ended
nanotube. A numerical simulation based on particle-in-cell parallel computing technique has also been performed. Both experimental and simulation results indicate that the opened nanotube (after HNO3 modification) shows larger emission current than the closed nanotube (as-grown).
In summary, MWNTs grown on carbon cloth and a simple, but very effective, HNO3-modification method, providing improved field emission properties, show great potential in the applications of flexible electron source.
Keywords: CARBON NANOTUBES; FIELD EMISSION; FLEXIBLE CARBON CLOTHS
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 15 April 2012
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