Improvement of the field emission properties of carbon nanotubes by CNT/Fe₃O₄ composite electrophoretic deposition

A simple CNT/Fe₃O₄ composite electrophoretic deposition method to improve the field emission cathode properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is proposed. It is found that CNT/Fe₃O₄ composite electrophoretic deposition leads to better field emission performance than that of single CNT electrophoretic deposition. The result is investigated using SEM, J-E and FE. After the process, the turn-on electric field decreases from 0.882 to 0.500 V/μm at an emission current density of 0.1 mA/cm², and the latter increases from 0.003 to 1.137 mA/cm² at an electric field of 0.64 V/μm. CNT/Fe₃O₄ composite electrophoretic deposition is an easy and effective cathode preparation for field emission display applications.