Field emission of Co nanowires in polycarbonate template

The Co nanowire arrays were synthesized by electrodeposition in polycarbonate template (PC) with 4 μm thickness. Electron field emission properties of cobalt nanowires were studied for wires with different aspect ratios, R ranged between 10 and 60, while the diameter of wires was fixed about 50 nm. The field emission properties of the samples showed low turn on electric field (Eto) with values varying between 2.9 and 11.3 V/μm showing a minimum value for R = 20 (Eto < 3 V/μm). On the other hand, the enhancement factor shows a peak for nanowires length about 1 μm. Field emission data using the Fowler–Nordhiem theory showed nearly straight-line nature confirming cold field emission of electrons. The fabricated field emitter arrays of cobalt nanowires in the PC templates opens the possibility of fabricating flexible flat panel displays.