Borealis Technical Ltd (BOREF)

[Ubertino]

(WO/2008/016344) THERMIONIC EMITTING METAL INTERCALATED GRAPHITIC NANOFIBERS

Publication Number: WO/2008/016344 International Application No.: PCT/US2006/029539
Publication Date: 07.02.2008 International Filing Date: 31.07.2006
Int. Class.: B32B 9/00 (2006.01), B32B 19/00 (2006.01)

Applicants: VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY [US/US]; 1207 17th Avenue South, Suite 105, Nashville, TN 37212

[0017] The present invention is predicated on the discovery that certain metal intercalated GCNF materials possess unexpectedly low work functions and

concomitant enhanced thermionic emission properties. Preferred intercalating metals are the alkali metals. Particularly preferred is potassium.

[0018] More particularly, it has unexpectedly1 found that the thermionic electron energy distributions (TEEDs) from GCNFs with and without potassium intercalation reveal a dramatic reduction in work function from 4.7 eV to 2.2 eV due to the intercalation. This reduction is generally consistent with prior photoemission experiments on fibrous carbon materials with intercalated alkali metals; however an important difference is that the present results were performed at elevated temperatures. These results indicate that the effect can be maintained at the high temperatures required in applications of these materials as thermionic electron sources and energy conversion materials.

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