Large emission current from carbon nanotubes cathode by peeling-off process

Carbon nanotube (CNT) has been demonstrated as a promising electron source due to its excellent field emission performance for many year. Many efforts have been developed to improve the emission performance of CNT electron source. However, the total emission current and current density from a CNT cathode from a CNT cathode are still relative low compared with them from a thermal cathode. In the paper, a large emission current from a CNT dot is presented. To enhance the field emission current, metal powder was added into the CNT paste to improve the adhesive strength and conductivity. An indispensable post surface treatment called peeling-off process is presented to enhance the emission performance of CNT dot. The maximum emission current reached 51 mA and the high emission current density is about 6.5 A/cm². Such kind of large emission current obtained from CNT cathode is hopeful to realize practical application in high power electronic devices.