Field electron emission of layered Bi₂Se₃ nanosheets with atom-thick sharp edges

Field electron emission properties of solution processed few-layer Bi₂Se₃ nanosheets are studied for the first time, which exhibit a low turn-on field of 2.3 V μm(-1), a high field enhancement factor of up to 6860 and good field emission stability. This performance is better than that of the as reported layered MoS₂f sheets and is comparable to that of single layer graphene films. The efficient field emission behaviours are found to be not only attributed to their lower work function but also related to their numerous sharp edges or protrusion decorated structure based on our simulation results. Besides, the contribution of possible two-dimensional electron gas surface states of atom-thick layered Bi₂Se₃ nanosheets is discussed in this paper. We anticipate that these solution processed layered Bi₂Se₃ nanosheets have great potential as robust high-performance vertical structure electron emitters for future light weight and highly flexible vacuum micro/nano-electronic device applications.