Abstract
Hybridization of gold nanoparticles in the ultrananocrystalline diamond materials improves the electrical conductivity of the materials to a high level of 230 (Ω cm) -1 with a sheet carrier concentration of 8.9 × 10 20 cm -2 . These hybrid materials show enhanced electron field emission (EFE) properties, viz. a low turn-on field of 2.1 V μm -1 with a high EFE current density of 5.3 mA cm -2 (at an applied field of 4.9 V μm -1 ) and the life-time stability up to a period of 372 min. The fabrication of these hybrid materials with high conductivity and superior EFE behaviors is a direct and simple process which opens new prospects in flat panel displays and high brightness electron sources. This journal is