Field-emission enhancement from change of printed carbon nanotube morphology by an elastomer

Abstract

The surface morphology of screen-printed carbon nanotube films was modified by using the poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer. The entangled carbon nanotube (CNT) bundles were broken up into individual free standing nanotubes to remarkably improve the field-emission characteristics over the as-deposited CNT film. In addition, the cathode film morphology of top-gated triode structures can be treated by using the proposed surface treatment technique, which is a low-cost process.