Growth enhancement and field emission characteristics of one-dimensional 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride nanostructures on pillared titanium substrate

We have utilized the π–π interactions between 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) molecules and temperature-induced morphology changes to synthesize one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures of PTCDA on a heated (ca. 100 °C) titanium substrate through vacuum sublimation. Because of the pillared Ti structures and the presence of reactive Ti–Cl sites, the titanium substrate played a crucial role in assisting the PTCDA molecules to form 1D nanostructures. The average diameter of the nanofibers deposited on the Ti-CVD substrate, a Ti substrate formed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), at 100 °C was ca. 84 nm, with lengths ranging from 100 nm to 3 μm. When the PTCDA nanofibers were biased under vacuum, the emission current remained stable. The turn-on electric field for producing a current density of 10 μA/cm2 was 8 V/μm. The maximum emission current density was 1.3 mA/cm2, measured at 1100 V (E = 11 V/μm). From the slope of the straight line obtained after plotting ln(J/E2) versus 1/E, we calculated the field enhancement factor β to be ca. 989. These results demonstrate the PTCDA nanofibers have great potential for applicability in organic electron-emitting devices.