The Growth Methods and Field Emission Studies of Low-Dimensional Boron-Based Nanostructures

• Main Authors: Haibo Gan, Tong Zhang, Zekun Guo, Haojian Lin, Zijuan Li, Huanjun Chen, Jun Chen, Fei Liu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-03-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: low-dimensional (LD) boron-based nanostructures; boron monoelement; rare-earth metal hexaboride (REB6); growth methods; field emission (FE)
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/9/5/1019

Based on the morphology characteristics, low-dimensional (LD) nanostructures with high aspect ratio can be usually divided into nanowire, nanocone, nanotube, nanorod, nanoribbon, nanobelt and so on. Among numerous LD nanostructures, boron-based nanostructures attracted much interest in recent years because they have high melting-point, large electric and thermal conductivity, and low work function. Compared to traditional thermal emission, field emission (FE) has notable advantages, such as lower power dissipation, longer working life, room-temperature operation, higher brightness and faster switching speed. Most studies reveal they have lower turn-on and threshold fields as well as high current density, which are believed as ideal cold cathode nanomaterials. In this review, we will firstly introduce the growth methods of LD boron-based nanostructures (boron monoelement and rare-earth metal hexaboride). Then, we will discuss their FE properties and applications. At last, the conclusions and outlook will be summarized based on the above studies.