A primary understanding of field emission from superhigh specific surface area activated carbon with interconnection structure

Abstract In this study, activated carbon (AC) with the specific surface area up to 3152 m2 g−1 is synthetized and structural-characterized. The AC powder displays the interconnective framework structure composed of numerous carbon nanosheets and the sharp edges act as the active sites to achieve efficient electron emission. The screen-printed AC cold cathode shows large emission current density of 15 mA cm−2 under relatively low electrical field of 6.0 V μm−1, with stable emission of up to 280 min. In conjunction to its uniform emission pattern, robustness, and vacuum-compatibility test, the feasibility of AC cold cathode in field emission devices have been demonstrated. This work provides a primary understanding of field emission performance for the AC electron emitter and expands the application fields of superhigh specific surface area AC.