Thermionic Emission from Molybdenum in Vapors of Cesium and Cesium Fluoride

Abstract

``S curves,'' similar to those given by Langmuir for electron emission from tungsten in cesium vapor, are presented for electron emission from molybdenum in cesium vapor. It is shown that the addition of cesium fluoride greatly enhances the electron emission. The minimum effective work function of the Cs-CsF-Mo surface is 1.38±0.05 ev, while that of the Cs-Mo surface is 1.68±0.05 ev. The new cathode may be useful in thermionic converters.