Preparation and Field Emission Properties of Single-Crystal CeB6 Tips

Single-crystal CeB6 tips with different curvature radii are prepared simply and efficiently by using an independently designed electrochemical corrosion device; the average preparation time of a tip was only about 2.75 h. The field emission performance test results show that the single-crystal CeB6 tip exhibits excellent field emission performance. When the applied voltage was 2550 V, the current density of a tip with a curvature radius of about 500 nm is 2.11 × 104 A/cm2, and as the curvature radii increases, the field emission current density drops sharply. The first principle calculation of the electronic structure and work function of single-crystal CeB6 under an electric field show that the free electron energy of single-crystal CeB6 increases and is enriched at the surface under a strong electric field of 0.1 V/Å, with a reduced surface barrier. The CeB6 work function under the strong electric field was greatly reduced, which is conducive to electron emission. By calculating the difference between the vacuum level and the Fermi level, a surface work function of 0.42 eV with an applied electric field of 0.1 V/Å of CeB6 was obtained. This provides theoretical support for the single-crystal CeB6 tip exhibiting excellent field emission performance.