Field emission properties of carbon nanostructures: A review

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanoflakes (CNFs), carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) and other related structures (known as carbon nanostructures (CNSs)) have emerged as a promising class of materials as field electron emitters. They have a low threshold field and a high emission current density which make them attractive for technological applications. In this article, we review recent progress on understanding of CNS field emitters and discuss issues related to applications of CNS based cold cathodes in vacuum microelectronic devices. The emphasis is on the emission characteristics of macroscopic CNS cathodes and their relations with the underlying materials properties. In addition, some of realistic applications based on CNTs field emission have also been discussed.