Effects of plasma treatment on microstructure and electron field emission properties of screen-printed carbon nanotube films

The effect of H2, N2 and NH3 plasma treatment on the microstructure and field emission (FE) properties of the screen-printed carbon nanotube (CNT) films has been systematically examined. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the microstructural changes of the CNTs. The results indicated that the surface of CNTs became rough, and on which a lot of nano-protuberances appeared after plasma treatment. FE experiments showed the treated CNT films had superior FE behavior with emission site density (ESD) dramatically increasing from 103 to 106/cm2. The mechanism of ESD enhancement and variation of FE properties with treatment time have been discussed.