Emission properties of nanostructures formed at a liquid carbon surface during the explosive emission process

The graphite is a well-known material for explosive emission cathodes due to the high stability and practically unlimited resource of emission ability. Such merits are resulted from the fact that during the explosive electron emission (EEE) topography with nanometer microtips develops and it mainly conserves on the graphite after the process. We have shown previously that nanometer scale tips of 10⁸ cm^-2 surface density are formed at a liquid carbon surface at EEE. The purpose of this work was a more detailed study of the structure and composition of carbon nanoclusters on the surface of graphitized polyacrylonitrile fibers by means of scanning electron and field emission microscopy. Emission characteristics of the carbon nanoclusters are studied in the EEE and field electron emission regimes. The field emission initiation threshold is found.