Controlled preparation and electron emission properties of three-dimensional micropatterned aligned carbon nanotubes

Abstract

The authors have developed a simple, but very effective and versatile, dry contact transfer technique for controlled preparation of three-dimensional (3D) perpendicularly aligned carbon nanotube micropatterns with region-specific tube lengths. The 3D micropatterned aligned carbon nanotubes were demonstrated to show a stepwise electron emission behavior, providing an effective means for developing multifunctional electron emitters with tailor-made field emission characteristics.