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The field emission properties (FE) of a heteroarchitecture comprised of gadolinium hexaboride nanoparticles uniformly decorated over Cu2O nanoneedles (GdB6/Cu2O) have been investigated at the base pressure of ~1 × 10−8 mbar. Under the optimized pulsed laser deposition (PLD), a well-adhered coating of GdB6 nanoparticles on chemically synthesized cuprous oxide (Cu2O) nanoneedles has been obtained. A plausible growth mechanism of the hierarchical assembly of GdB6 nanoparticles on the Cu2O nanoneedles is explained on the basis of structural analysis carried out using SEM and TEM. A low turn-on field of ~2.3 V μm−1 (to draw an emission current density ~1 μA cm−2) is observed along with stable emission current at the preset value of ~2 μA over 4 h. The enhanced emission behaviour of the GdB6/Cu2O heteroarchitecture, in contrast to the pristine Cu2O nanoneedles, is attributed to its high aspect ratio and low work function. The observed FE results demonstrate GdB6/Cu2O heteroarchitecture as a potential candidate for application in various vacuum nano/microelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A one-pot multi-component, green, and highly efficient protocol has been described for the synthesis of a wide range of 12-aryl-8,9,10,12-tetrahydrobenzo[a]xanthen-11-ones using TAPC supported on boehmite nanoparticles (BNPs-TAPC) as an eco-friendly and recyclable nanocatalyst in excellent yields under solvent-free conditions. A short reaction time, easy and quick isolation of the products, use of inexpensive heterogeneous nanocatalysts, a solvent-free process and excellent chemoselectivity are other remarkable features of this environmentally benign protocol. BNPs-TAPC was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FT-IR methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]