Electron field emitters based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes coated with conducting polymer/metal/metal-oxide composites

The present work describes the field emission properties of multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs)-based conducting polymer/metal-oxide/metal/MWNTs composites (polyaniline (PANI)/SnO2/Sn/MWNTs). MWNTs were synthesised by chemical vapour deposition technique. SnO2/Sn/MWNTs were prepared by using chemical reduction followed by calcination. By in situ polymerisation method, surface of SnO2/Sn/MWNTs were coated with PANI. PANI/SnO2/Sn/MWNTs field emitters were fabricated over flexible graphitised carbon fabric substrate by spin coating technique. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterise the field emitters. Field emission properties have been studied using an indigenously made facility. The fabricated PANI/SnO2/Sn/MWNTs field emitters exhibited excellent field emission properties with a turn on field of 1.83 V m-1 and a field enhancement factor of 4800.