Synthesis of Silica Decorated MWCNTs for Field Emission Property

A novel route to nanocomposites containing surface modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by silica thin film is reported. The effect of chemical oxidation on the surface of MWCNTs by using different acid-treatments is studied.The acidic processes are characterized by Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetry analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. MWCNTs can be coated homogeneously with silica film by using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS)as a precursor in a sol-gel process. Varying the shell thickness of amorphous silica coating layers on MWCNTs exhibits excellent thermal stability, reliability, and lifetime of field emission properties, especially down to less than 10 nm.