The drastic temperature rise of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in response to microwave irradiation was applied to weld a MWCNT paste on a polymer substrate within a few seconds. It provides a strong bonding between the MWCNT and polymer without thermal damage to the substrate. A flexible field emitter was made from MWCNT microwave welded on polycarbonate, showing excellent electrical conduction and field-emission properties even under bending. The field emitter works with a turn-on voltage of 0.8V∕μm due to the direct electron transfer. By this method, printed circuits and field-emission devices can be processed simultaneously within seconds leading to important applications in flexible electronic devices.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.