Improving the field emission characteristics of tetrapod-like zinc oxide nanostructures by coating with silver nanowires

The field emission properties of tetrapod-like zinc oxide (T-ZnO) nanostructures coated with Ag nanowires were investigated. Field emission device based on T-ZnO/Ag nanowires hybrid cathode exhibited lower turn-on electric field, larger field enhancement factor and better stability as compared with the as-grown T-ZnO cathode. The results showed that the mechanical and electrical conduction between the T-ZnO and electrode have been greatly improved mainly owing to the introduction of Ag nanowires into T-ZnO nanostructures, and further the field emission properties of T-ZnO/Ag nanowires hybrid cathode have been greatly enhanced. As compared with the pure T-ZnO cathode, the T-ZnO/Ag nanowires hybrid is proved as a promising cathode candidate for field emission display.