Field emission properties of carbon nanotube cathodes produced using composite plating

Field emission properties of carbon nanotube field emission cathodes (CNT-FECs) produced using composite plating are studied. The experiment uses a CNT suspension and electroless Ni plating bath to carry out composite plating. The CNTs were first purified by an acid solution, dispersed in a Ni electrobath, and finally co-deposited with Ni on glass substrates to synthesize electrically conductive films. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy results show that the field emission characteristics and graphitic properties of CNT-FECs depend on the pH value of the electrobath. Experiments show that the optimum electrobath pH value is 5.4, achieving a field emission current density of 1.0 mA/cm2 at an applied electric field of 1.5 V/μm. The proposed CNT-FECs possess good field emission characteristics and have potential for backlight unit application in liquid crystal displays.