Nanostructured tungsten trioxide developed from environmentally friendly green process as a promising cathode for excellent field emission

Abstract

Extensively explored as cathodes for field emission, nanostructured metal oxides play a crucial role in diverse applications such as microwave amplifiers, renewable energy systems, flat panel displays, and micro-electronics. The quest for high current density, low threshold field, and stable field emission persists. In present study, we introduce a green synthesis approach using vegetable oil as a reaction medium to produce hexagonal tungsten trioxide (h-WO3). The structural analysis confirmed the formation of h-WO3 with a nanorod-like morphology. The spin-coated h-WO3 film on a silicon substrate exhibited promising field emission properties, including a field enhancement factor (β) of 1596 and a turn-on field of 4.60 V/μm, comparable to reported values. This research opens avenues for the cost-effective and scalable utilization of h-WO3 as an electron emitter in advanced optical and electrical devices.