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Stable field emission performance from urchin-like ZnO nanostructures
Hao Jiang1, Junqing Hu, Feng Gu
1Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, People's Republic of China.
Nanotechnology
|May 7, 2009
Summary
Urchin-like zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures with sharp tips exhibit excellent field emission properties. These ZnO nanostructures demonstrate good performance and stability, suitable for field emitter applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Physics
Background:
- Field emission properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) are significantly influenced by morphology and structure.
- Developing efficient ZnO nanostructures is crucial for advanced field emitter applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the field emission properties of 3D urchin-like ZnO nanostructures.
- To evaluate the impact of ZnO nanorod sharp tip morphology on field emission performance and stability.
Main Methods:
- Self-assembly of urchin-like ZnO nanostructures using a simple hydrothermal route.
- Detailed characterization of field emission performance, including turn-on field, threshold field, and stability.
- Estimation of the field enhancement factor (beta).
Main Results:
- Urchin-like ZnO nanostructures displayed a turn-on field of ~3.7 V/µm and a threshold field of ~4.8 V/µm.
- Excellent stability was observed with less than 4% fluctuation over 250 minutes.
- A high field enhancement factor (beta) of 1239 was estimated.
- Performance is comparable to the best reported ZnO nanostructures.
Conclusions:
- The sharp tip morphology of ZnO nanorods in urchin-like structures is key to achieving good and stable field emission.
- These ZnO nanostructures show significant potential for applications in field emitters.
