Electron emission from single-walled carbon nanotubes with sharpened bundles

We investigated the influence of grinding as a pretreatment prior to the emitter film formation of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) on the field emission and the geometric properties of SWNTs. Field emission from emitter films composed of ground SWNTs was found to be dramatically enhanced as well as to be homogeneous and stable, compared with that from emitter films composed of unground SWNTs. Transmission electron microscopy observations showed that several SWNTs protrude from the ends of ground SWNT bundles. The improved emission current is attributed to the large field enhancement at the sharpened ends of the SWNT bundles.