Electric field enhancements in In2O3-coated single-walled carbon nanotubes

In2O3 nanoparticles are coated on the surfaces of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by a successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction process. The thickness of the In2O3 nanoparticle film is tuned by controlling the number of coating cycles. The electric field around the In2O3-coated SWCNTs is compared with that of pristine SWCNTs. Field enhancement of the In2O3-coated SWCNTs is confirmed by conductive atomic force microscopy at low electric field (contact mode: 1 V to −1 V) and also field emission (FE) analysis at high electric field (0–4.2 V/μm). The uniformity and emission stability are also measured via FE analysis. Near infrared and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy data are suggested to explain the charge transfer, bandgap change between the In2O3 nanoparticles and SWCNTs, and the electric field enhancements in the In2O3-coated SWCNTs at both low and high electric field.