Field emitters: ultrathin BN nanosheets protruded from BN fibers

Abstract

Ultrathin BN sheets protruded from BN fibers were fabricated through a designated facile multi-zone CVD process using ZnS nanowires as templates. Their field-emission characteristics show a low turn-on field of 1.9 V µm⁻¹, a low threshold field of 4.65 V µm⁻¹, a very high field-enhancement factor (∼1600), and a high stability with a low fluctuation of the field-emission current (∼1%). It is believed that the ultrathin BN nanosheets are necessary for securing these extraordinary field-emission properties. These results suggest that ultrathin BN nanosheets can be excellent candidates for applications as field emitters or other device systems.