Synthesis of carbon nanotubes using screen‐printing catalyst and its application for a field emission device

Abstract

Iron nitrate (Fe(NO3)3.9H2O) catalyst is screen‐printed over silicon substrates and efficiently utilized to catalyze the synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The concentration of iron nitrate influences the particle size distribution of the Fe catalyst, which determines the morphology of the obtained CNT arrays. H2 is introduced in varying concentrations in a CH4/N2 mixed gas during the synthesis of the CNTs, from which CNTs with uniform diameter distribution are grown. A field emission device that employs CNTs as emitters exhibits a current density of 9 mA/cm2 at an electrical field of 1.2 V/μm. This work demonstrates the potential to synthesize CNTs using a screen‐printed catalyst, which is a requirement for field emitter application at a large size. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)