Abstract
Scandate cathodes have long attracted attention due to their higher emission current density, apparent low work function, and anticipated improved longevity comparing to conventional cathodes. However, scandate cathodes have not been applied as extensively as their potential would imply, due to many unresolved issues, one of them being the non-uniformity of emission from the cathode surface. One possible reason for this, namely uneven distribution of scandia on tungsten, is investigated here. By comparing the initial microstructure of tungsten- scandia powder to resulting sintered pellets, we have discovered that more complete scandia coverage corresponds to a larger number of scandia particles distributed on sintered tungsten. Nearly all samples, when prepared as sintered pellets, exhibited a work function of 5.1 eV, as measured with a Kelvin probe.
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