Field emission of ZnO cathode fabricated by electrophoresis

As chrysanthemum-like ZnO particles are synthesized through hydrothermal route, ZnO nano-particles can be deposited on titanium substrates by electrophoresis. After 800°C heat treatment, testing of field electron emission is performed, it turns out that in the low-voltage, the chrysanthemum-like nano-ZnO has good field emission properties: the electric field threshold is 1.48V /¿m, electrical field strength reaches 4.5V /¿m, the field emission current is 100¿A; but in the high-voltage, field emission current is volatile. In the measurement, a serious damage on the sample surface may be due to poor bonding between ZnO and titanium substrate. Several interpretations are given about current fluctuations of high-voltage field emission. With the simple electrophoresis process and possible preparation of a large area, study of Chrysanthemum-like ZnO field emission lays the foundation for the practical application of field emission display devices in the future.