Effects of the ion irradiation of screen-printed carbon nanotubes for use in field emission display applications Original Research Article

The effect of argon ion irradiation on the field emission (FE) and luminescent properties of screen-printed carbon nanotubes (SP-CNTs) with square pixels was examined, to further improve field emission displays (FEDs) applications. Persistent problems associated with SP-CNTs such as bent or/and buried CNTs and the degradation of binder-residue-induced emission were improved as a result of the permanent straightening of CNTs and protruding CNTs from binders by the irradiation treatment, in addition to its surface cleaning effect. The findings here in suggest that ion irradiation treatment is an effective method for achieving uniform FE and for reducing the aging time of SP-CNTs.