Carbon Nanotube Field-Emission Cathodes on Nickel Bases
Inexpensive laboratory technology to obtain carbon nanotube field emitters on moderate nickel bases has been developed. Unconventional CVD method was used for carbon nanotube growing. Fundamental processes taking place in the CVD reactor during carbon nanotube layer formation on the surface of bulk catalycally active metals were considered. The possibility of nonuniform catalytic carbon deposition on the surface of nickel base was shown experimentally and theoretically. The suitable procedure to produce uniform carbon nanotube layers with identical field emission characteristics was found and realized.