Single Crystalline SmB6 Nanostructure Arrays: Controllable Synthesis and Field Emission Property

doi:10.15541/jim20190070

Abstract

Abstract:

Being a typical Kondo topological insulator, samarium hexaboride (SmB₆) attracts much interest in condensed physics and material sciences in recent years. In comparison with their bulk counterparts, SmB₆ nanostructures have more abundant surface electron states due to larger specific surface area, which are believed as idea platforms for studying surface quantum properties and physic mechanism. Through chemical vapor deposition (CVD), SmB₆ nanobelt and nanowire films were respectively prepared on Si substrate. Both SmB₆ nanowires and nanobelts are proven as the cubic single crystals, and their growth directions are, along [100] and [110], respectively. Field emission (FE) results show that SmB₆ nanobelts have a turn-on field of 3.24 V/μm and their maximum current density arrives at 466.16 μA/cm ², which are better than SmB₆ nanowires. Considering that SmB₆ nanostructures have lower electron affinity, higher electron conductivity and more abundant surface states, they are regarded as excellent cold cathode nanomaterials if their FE performances can be further improved.

Key words: samarium hexaboride (SmB₆), topological Kondo insulator, nanowires, nanobelts, field emission (FE)

CLC Number:

O462

ZHANG Tong,LI Zi-Juan,GUO Ze-Kun,TIAN Yan,LIN Hao-Jian,XU Ning-Sheng,CHEN Jun,DENG Shao-Zhi,LIU Fei. Single Crystalline SmB₆Nanostructure Arrays: Controllable Synthesis and Field Emission Property[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2020, 35(2): 199-204.

Figures/Tables 6

Fig. 1 (a, b) Typical low- and high-resolution SEM images of the SmB6 nanowires with inset showing typical side-view image of SmB6 nanowires, and (c, d) side- and top-view images of the SmB6 nanobelts with inset in (c) showing representative high-magnification SEM image of the SmB6 nanobelt

Table 1 Morphological parameters of the SmB6 nanowires and nanobelts

Morphology	Density/cm^-2	Length/μm	Mean length/μm	Mean top diameter/nm	Aspect radio	Specific surface area/μm^-1
SmB₆ nanowires	5×10⁷	20-120	47.8	108	442	18.5
SmB₆ nanobelts	4×10⁷	10-90	36.3	76	477	39.6

Fig. 2 (a) Typical XRD patterns and (b) Raman spectra of SmB6 nanobelts and nanowires

Fig. 3 (a, b) Low- and high-resolution TEM images of the SmB6 nanobelt with inset in (b) showing the corresponding SAED pattern, and (c, d) low- and high-magnification TEM images of the SmB6 nanowire with inset in (d) showing the corresponding SAED pattern

Fig. 4 (a) J-E characteristics of the SmB6 nanowires and nanobelts and their corresponding (b) FN plots

Table 2 Comparison of field emission properies of some excellent cathode nanostructures

Material	Measurement	Areas of samples/cm²	E_on/(V·μm^-1)	J_max/(μA·cm^-2)	Field enhancement factor, β
SmB₆ nanowires	Transparent anode method	1	5	65.7	1461
SmB₆ nanobelts	Transparent anode method	1	3.24	466.16	1921
SmB₆ nanowires^[14]	Transparent anode method	0.49	6.5	306	996
SmB₆ nanopencils^[14]	Transparent anode method	0.2	6.9	237	1150
SmB₆ nanowires^[15]	Transparent anode method	0.785	2.7-4.2	-	2207-4741
LaB₆ nanowires^[8]	Transparent anode method	-	1.82	5700	1072
Carbon nanotubes^[21]	Transparent anode method	0.0038	3.2	2.184×10⁶	768-956
ZnO nanobelts^[22]	Anode probe method	-	6.6	40170	700

References 22

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Single Crystalline SmB₆Nanostructure Arrays: Controllable Synthesis and Field Emission Property

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