Field emission properties of vertically aligned MoS2 nanosheets

We report here the field emission investigation of vertically aligned MoS₂ nanosheets. Vertically aligned layered MoS₂ nanosheets were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process with high controllability. The turn-on field required to draw a field emission current density of 10 μA/cm² is found to be 2.86 V/μM, which is comparable with previously reported MoS₂ nonosheets and graphene. The low turn-on field is due to the high field enhanced factor (~3850) associated with the nanometric protrusions and sharp edges observed on MoS₂ surface. In addition, the electron field emission current is also consistent with the Fowler-Nordheim (F-N) theory and shows a good emission stability. These great field emission properties demonstrate that MoS₂ could be utilized for flat panel display applications.