| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1666315 | Thin Solid Films | 2013 | 4 Pages |
•Carbon nanofibers were uniformly coated with palladium.•Energy-filtered transmission electron microscope confirms uniformity of coating.•Tips were exposed to atomic hydrogen environment.•Field emission characteristics were measured and compared to uncoated samples.•Coated samples show better field emission properties and longer lifetime.
Results from electron field-emission studies using arrays of patterned carbon nanofiber bundles are reported. We find that the desired field-emission characteristics were not compromised when a protective coating consisting of a layer of palladium of 5 and 30 nm thickness was applied. Following exposure to a hydrogen plasma for several hours we find that the coatings impede plasma damage significantly, whereas the field-emission properties of uncoated nanofibers degraded much more rapidly. The results demonstrate that carbon nanofibers with protective conformal metal coatings can be integrated into harsh plasma environments enabling a range of applications such as field-ionization ion sources and advanced (micro)-plasma discharges.
