 |
 |
17 Jun 2002
A new method for controlling the arrangement of carbon nanotubes may lead to long lasting, energy efficient displays.
The nanotubes act as electron emitters that react with a fluorescent material to produce light. The displays work on a similar principle to a conventional cathode ray tube but the small size of the nanotube electron emitters leads to a thinner, more flexible, high resolution display.
Carbon nanotubes consist of carbon atoms arranged in hexagons to form tubes with diameters in the order of nanometers and lengths of several millimetres. These materials behave as either semiconductors or metals depending on their shapes and sizes. Different tubes join together to form molecular-scale wires with valuable electrical, nonlinear optical, magnetic and mechanical properties.
Liming Dai and Shaoming Huang of the molecular science division of the Australian research organisation CSIRO developed a technique for making the carbon nanotubes so that they form electron emitting materials suitable for flat panel displays.
Liming Dai explained how the technique works, "For display screens, we align the nanotubes along a conducting surface. They emit electrons when an external voltage is applied and the electrons then excite a fluorescent screen to produce light."
The group has recently signed a two year collaboration agreement with the Austrian company Electrovac to develop the new type of screen for televisions and computers.
SH
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| © 2024 SPIE Europe |
|
