Field emission from multi-walled carbon nanotubes with various fillers

Pastes for field emission test were prepared by 3-roll milling of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and UV-sensitive binder solution. The effects of four filler additives, namely two types of indium tin oxide (ITO) powder, glass frit and Ag on the field emission properties of the screen-printed paste were investigated and compared to those without filler using a diode-type configuration. The paste formulation was shown to be adequate for fine patterning using a UV-lithography technique. MWNT pastes containing any type of filler showed better emission properties than the paste without filler, thereby confirming the importance of the filler. The MWNT paste with 1 wt.% glass frit showed the best results with the lowest turn-on field of 1.75 V/μm at 1 μA/cm2, highest emission current density of 78 μA/cm2 at 5 V/μm, and β-factor of 17,000 approximately, which are satisfactory for practical application.