Field emission from laterally aligned carbon nanotube flower arrays for low turn-on field emission

Laterally aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays “blossomed” homogeneously in honeycomb holes of a metal grid substrate were explored as rational architecture for field emission. A low turn-on field (TOF) of 1.09 V/μm for 10 μA/cm2 emission was achieved, which approaches or exceeds the lowest reported TOF values for field emitter arrays. We interpret that these lateral CNT arrays act as source of CNT “loop” arrays enabling a structure suited toward low TOF field emission