Electrodeposition of Cesium for Efficient Explosive Emission Carbon Fiber Cathodes

In conventional methods of cesium iodide (CsI) coating on carbon fiber (CF) cathode, iodine exists on the cathode surface along with cesium. The electronegative nature of iodine may act as a hindrance in extracting the complete benefit of Cs coating on the cathode surface. To reduce the presence of iodine on the surface, we have developed the electrodeposition technique for the Cs coating. The uncoated and Cs electrodeposited (ED) cathodes were evaluated for their explosive emission properties in a closely spaced diode configuration (size of cathode = 84 mm diameter, A-K gap = 15 mm, voltage = 185 kV, pulse width ~100 ns). Before fabricating the explosive emission cathode, the unit process of electrodeposition was optimized on uncoated single CF tufts. The uncoated and CsI coated CF single tufts were investigated using the techniques such as field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and work function.