Synthesis and field emission of ZrC nanowire

〈100〉 Oriented zirconium carbide (ZrC) nanowires have been synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). A single ZrC nanowire emitter has been prepared for investigations of its field emission properties. A high field enhancement factor of 8.23 × 106 m−1 was obtained, attributed to the unique structure of the ZrC nanowire. Furthermore, the emitter exhibited a high emission current density of 6.92 × 1010 A/m2 at a low extraction voltage of 555 V, which is much lower than the voltage required for traditional cone shaped ZrC emitters. The results demonstrated that ZrC nanowires are of great advantages for field emission applications.