Electron field emission from nanoporous carbon material: effect of surface and material characterization

Electron field emission, surface morphology, work function, and structure of nanoporous carbon materials have been studied. The samples studied had graphite structure and some of them demonstrated a significant concentration of rather uniformly distributed emission centers. Emission properties of the samples with smooth surfaces (uniformities <1 /spl mu/m) depended on the work function of the material. Emission properties of the samples with rough surfaces (uniformities >10 /spl mu/m) did not depend on the work function, but emission site distribution depended on the distribution and concentration of surface "grains". So, field emission from the samples had different nature in spite of similar material composition and structure.