Polymerized carbon nanobells and their field-emission properties

Aligned nitrogen-containing carbon nanofibers consisting of polymerized “nanobells” have been grown on a large scale using microwave plasma-assisted chemical-vapor deposition with a mixture of methane and nitrogen. A greater part of the fiber surface consists of open ends of the graphitic sheets. A side-emission mechanism is proposed. A low-threshold field of 1.0 V/μm and a high-emission current density of 200 mA/cm2 for an applied field of 5–6 V/μm were achieved, implying that the materials have a high potential for future application as electron field emitters, especially in flat-panel displays.