The impact of edges and dopants on the work function of graphene nanostructures: The way to high electronic emission from pure carbon medium.

The impact of the edges and the presence of dopants to the work function (WF) of graphene nanoribbons (GNR) and nanoflakes was studied by an ab initio approach. The strong dependence of the WF upon the GNR structure was found and a promising character for the field emission by the donor type impurities was observed. Basing on the predominant impact of the nanostructure edges to the emission properties, the small graphene flakes were investigated as a possible source for the electron emission. The obtained weak dependence of the low WF values of the graphene flakes on their size and shape allows to suggest that the pure carbon medium with high and uniform emission properties can be fabricated by today's technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]