Fabrication of patterned boron-based nanowires and their field emission properties

The cold cathodes based on the one-dimensional nanoscale materials have exhibited excellent field emission (FE) properties in contrast with the traditional materials. The patterning of nanoscale cold cathodes can dramatically improve FE properties and increase FE enhancement factor by reducing screen effects between nanomaterials. Large-area patterned boron-based 1D nanostructure (B and B₄C NWs) have been synthesized using chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Field emission measurements of patterned B and B₄C NWs films show that their turn-on electric field are lower than that of continuous B and B₄C NWs films.