Synthesis of reduced graphene oxide nanosheet-supported agglomerated cobalt oxide nanoparticles and their enhanced electron field emission properties

Abstract

In this work, the field emission properties were demonstrated of reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (rGO-NSs) containing agglomerated Co₃O₄ nanoparticles (rGO–Co₃O₄) synthesized by a one-step microwave approach. Structural investigation indicates that the as-synthesized rGO–Co₃O₄ composite contains agglomerated Co₃O₄ nanoparticles on the surface of rGO-NSs. The field emission properties of the rGO–Co₃O₄ composite were investigated. The results indicate that the rGO–Co₃O₄ composite has excellent field emission performance, with turn-on field of 2.6 V μm⁻¹, threshold field of 3.1 V μm⁻¹, and a field enhancement factor of 3161.8. Furthermore, the emission current shows stability over 400 min of continuous operation. The synthesized rGO–Co₃O₄ composite has potential for application in field emission devices. This enhancement of field emission properties was investigated based on the surface morphology of the self-assembled nanostructures.