Facile synthesis of novel one-dimensional hierarchical SiC@SiO2@c-C nanostructures and their field emission properties

One-dimensional hierarchical nanostructures composed of SiC cores, SiO2 interlayers and crystalline carbon coatings (SiC@SiO2@c-C) were successfully synthesized by Ni-assisted chemical vapor deposition method. The nanostructures delivered a low turn-on field of 0.8 V mu m(-1) and threshold field of 2.6 V mu m(-1) when evaluated as a field emission cathode material. With the advantages of synergy between different layers, the attractive performance was adequately illustrated by the energy band diagram structures of the interface area. The coaxial nanostructures with a semiconductor-insulator-semiconductor geometry have promising applications in nanoelectronics display devices.