Synthesis and field emission characterization of titanium carbide nanowires

Spindt type field emitters are the mature electron sources in application though they have a series of drawbacks, such as expensive production, critical lifetime in vacuum, and high operating voltage. In recent years, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have demonstrated superior field emission properties and wide potential applications (Bonard et al., 2001). The highlights of CNT have stimulated great interest to explore other one-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials as electron sources. Titanium carbide (TiC), a wide-bandgap semiconductor material, is well known for its high melting point, extreme hardness, and high chemical inertness. Hence, 1D TiC nanostructures could have advantages for field emission. Herein, we present the recent progress about fabrication and field emission characterization of TiC nanowires.