When It Comes To Churning Out Electrons, Metal Glass Beats
Plastics Field emission devices, which produce a steady stream
of electrons, have a host of consumer, industrial, and research
applications. Recent designs based on nanotubes and other
nanomaterials embedded in plastics show initial promise, but
have a number of drawbacks that hinder their wide-scale
application. The embedded nanotubes, which serve as the source
for the electrons, also enable the normally inert plastic to
conduct electricity. This has the desired effect of producing a
versatile and easily manufactured field emission device. But
since plastics are, by nature, poor conductors of electricity,
they require a high concentration of nanomaterials to function.
Plastics also have low thermal stability and do not hold up well
under the excess heat produced by prolonged operation. A team of
researchers from Monash University in Australia, in
collaboration with colleagues from CSIRO Process Science and
Engineering, has developed a promising and e