Memory emission of printed carbon nanotube cathodes

The memory emission (ME) effect of printed carbon nanotube cathodes (PCNTCs) was reported. If the surface of PCNTCs is marked in a pattern by some methods, the emission image of this cathode will be the figure of the same pattern, just like the PCNTCsremember what happened in the past. We named this phenomenon as “memory emission.” According to the finding of field emission scanning electron microcopy, we suggested that the connecting CNT bundles protruding to the substrate and the electron conductive probability increasing from the substrate to the topside CNT emitter, which result in the emission enhancement of the marked place, were the reasons of the ME effect of PCNTCs. With the help of the ME effect of PCNTCs, the well-patterned emission image could easily be obtained.