Constructing Ag nanoparticles–single wall carbon hybrid nanostructure to improve field emission properties

The overall process of field emission can be dominated by the contact resistance between the single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and the substrate. In order to reduce the contact resistance, we present a wet chemical process of constructing Ag–SWCNTs hybrid nanostructure. Constructing Ag–SWCNTs emitters could improve the electrical contact by increasing the contact area between SWCNTs and substrate. Contact resistance is greatly reduced compared to that of pristine SWCNTs. Field emission properties of Ag–SWCNTs hybrid emitters including current density and emitting image are remarkably improved. Field emission properties based on the modified Fowler–Nordheim (F–N) equation are discussed. Our studies show that this method can enhance the field emission properties of the SWCNTs by improving the contact resistance and is a promising way for mass production of SWCNTs for field emission display.