Field emission property of vertically aligned nitrogen-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes produced by chemical vapor deposition

Author(s)

Pongpanot Rindhatayathon, Worawut Muangrat, Mati Horprathum, Suphakan Kijamnajsuk, Wolfgang Pfeiler, Chaisak Issro

Abstract

Vertically aligned nitrogen-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes (N-MWNTs) were synthesized by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) at 900 °C using imidazole mixed with ferrocene as carbon and nitrogen sources, and catalyst, respectively. The effects of ammonia (NH

₃) and hydrogen (H

₂) flow rates on the growth of N-MWNTs were investigated (hereafter referred to A-N-MWNTs and H-N-MWNTs, respectively). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the bamboo-like structure of the N-MWNTs, in which the separation between individual bamboo compartments decreased with increasing nitrogen concentration in N-MWNTs. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis results supported that the nitrogen concentrations in N-MWNTs is 0.55 at.%, whereas A-N-MWNTs and H-N-MWNTs with the flow rate at 10 standard cubic centimeters per minute (sccm) (10A-N-MWNTs and 10H-N-MWNTs, respectively) showed 1.14 and 4.06 at.%, respectively. We found that the optimal conditions for the highest nitrogen-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) was a flow rate of NH

₃ and H

₂ at 10 sccm. Results from field emission measurements indicated that the turn-on fields of N-MWNTs, 10A-N-MWNTs and 10H-N-MWNTs were 6.7, 4.3 and 3.1 V/μm, respectively, while the field enhancement factors (β) were 5230, 10,805 and 20,390, respectively. Furthermore, the current density of N-MNWTs increased with increasing the nitrogen atoms in MWNTs. The results support that field emission based on N-MWNTs is a good emitter with low turn-on field and large field enhancement factor. Nitrogen doping in MWNTs makes them attractive candidates as high-performance field emitters.

Organisation(s)

Dynamics of Condensed Systems

External organisation(s)

Burapha University, Shinshu University, National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC), National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC), Ministry of Science and Technology, Bangkok

Journal

Materials Today: Proceedings

Volume

5

Pages

14965-14969

No. of pages

5

ISSN

2214-7853

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2018.04.039

Publication date

2018

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

103018 Materials physics

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Materials Science(all)

Portal url

https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/field-emission-property-of-vertically-aligned-nitrogendoped-multiwalled-carbon-nanotubes-produced-by-chemical-vapor-deposition(94fea7b5-c4bd-4ba1-b3e6-7d752998c44b).html