Synthesis and field emission properties of TiSi2 nanowires

TiSi2 is a high-melting compound with excellent conductivity ∼severalμΩcm. TiSi2 nanowires were fabricated in large scale by a simple vapor phase deposition method. The as-synthesized TiSi2 nanowires were investigated using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Raman scattering. Field emission property of TiSi2 nanowires was studied and an emission current density of 5mA∕cm2 was obtained and no obvious degradation was observed in a life stability experiment period for over ∼40h. The cathodoluminescence images were very bright and homogenous. The remarkable performance reveals that the TiSi2 nanowires can serve as a good candidate for commercial application in vacuum microelectronic devices, particularly flat panel displays.