Residual Gas Adsorption and Desorption in the Field Emission of Titanium-Coated Carbon Nanotubes

• Published in: Materials Vol. 12; no. 18; p. 2937
• Main Authors: Zhang, Huzhong, Li, Detian, Wurz, Peter, Cheng, Yongjun, Wang, Yongjun, Wang, Chengxiang, Sun, Jian, Li, Gang, Fausch, Rico Georgio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 11.09.2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Adsorption; Carbon; carbon nanotubes; Chemical bonds; Chemical vapor deposition; Degassing; Desorption; Emitters; Energy; Field emission; Gases; Magnetron sputtering; Mass spectrometry; Multi wall carbon nanotubes; Nanoparticles; Outgassing; Photoelectrons; Plasma; Residual gas; residual gas adsorption; residual gas desorption; Room temperature; Spectrum analysis; Steel alloys; Titanium; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; United States > US; carbon nanotubes; residual gas adsorption; field emission; residual gas desorption
• ISSN: 1996-1944; 1996-1944
• DOI: 10.3390/ma12182937

Titanium (Ti)-coated multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) emitters based on the magnetron sputtering process are demonstrated, and the influences of modification to CNTs on the residual gas adsorption, gas desorption, and their field emission characteristic are discussed. Experimental results show that Ti nanoparticles are easily adsorbed on the surface of CNTs due to the "defects" produced by Ar irradiation pretreatment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization showed that Ti nanoparticles contribute to the adsorption of ambient molecules by changing the chemical bonding between C, Ti, and O. Field emission of CNTs coated with Ti nanoparticles agree well with the Fowler-Nordheim theory. The deviation of emission current under constant voltage is 6.3% and 8.6% for Ti-CNTs and pristine CNTs, respectively. The mass spectrometry analysis illustrated that Ti-coated CNTs have a better adsorption capacity at room temperature, as well as a lower outgassing effect than pristine CNTs after degassing in the process of field emission.