Pulse electrodeposition of iridium oxide on silicon nanotips for field emission study.

: To improve electron field emission properties of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templated Si nanotips, IrO2 nanoparticles were deposited on the nanotips using bipolar pulse electrodeposition method. The IrO2 nanoparticles had a uniform size distribution with an average value of approximately 4 nm, and well dispersed on the ordered Si nanotips. Due to the small radius and a lower work function, the IrO2/Si nanotip exhibited field emission properties better than the bare Si nanotip with a field enhancement factor of approximately 128. The SEM and TEM were utilized to investigate the structure and morphology. The physical and chemical properties were evaluated XRD and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).