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Photo-enhanced field emission study of TiO2 nanotubes array
Padmakar G Chavan1, Sugat V Shende, Dilip S Joag
1Center for Advanced Studies in Materials Science and Condensed Matter Physics, Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune 411007, India.
Ultramicroscopy
|December 15, 2010
Summary
Aligned titanium dioxide nanotubes exhibit excellent field emission properties and photo-responsive behavior. These TiO(2) nanotubes show potential for applications in micro/nanoelectronic devices due to their sensitivity to visible and UV light.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Surface Science
Background:
- Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a versatile semiconductor material.
- Aligned nanostructures offer unique electronic and optical properties.
- Field emission (FE) is crucial for vacuum microelectronic devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize aligned TiO2 nanotubes.
- To investigate the field emission properties of these nanotubes.
- To explore the photo-enhanced field emission behavior under visible and UV light illumination.
Main Methods:
- Anodization of Ti foil to create aligned TiO2 nanotubes.
- Characterization using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Photoluminescence (PL).
- Field emission measurements at high vacuum and photo-enhanced field emission studies.
Main Results:
- Synthesized TiO2 nanotubes with specific dimensions (≈ 60-80 nm inner diameter, ≈ 30 nm wall thickness).
- Achieved a low turn-on field (≈ 1.7 V/μm) for field emission.
- Demonstrated significant photo-enhancement of field emission under visible and UV light, with fast switching response.
Conclusions:
- Aligned TiO2 nanotubes possess excellent field emission characteristics.
- The photo-enhanced field emission properties highlight their sensitivity to light.
- These findings indicate the strong potential of aligned TiO2 nanotubes for field emission-based micro/nanoelectronic devices.
