Therefore, it is very important to monitor the vacuum level in a vacuum device in order to maintain satisfying field emission properties. To measure the inner vacuum of the device, the vacuum gauge should be integrated to the vacuum device without affecting the device. MWCNTs GSK690693 were used to fabricate the real time-monitoring vacuum gauge that satisfies these conditions. MWCNTs facilitate the fabrication

of a microstructure and this microstructure was used to build the micro vacuum gauge that could be set up in the device. Here, we demonstrate a simple screen-Selleck PF-6463922 printed MWCNT device that combines the MWCNT field emission and MWCNT-based vacuum gauge for the measurement of the vacuum level. Also, the MWCNT vacuum gauge packaged with a vacuum device is used to measure the lifetime of the vacuum device. Methods The weight ratio of MWCNT/glass frit/indium tin oxide (ITO) powder/Ethyl cellulose/α-terpineol was 1:10:2:9:100. MWCNT powder grown by chemical vapor deposition was used as an electron emission source and glass frit as an inorganic binder to enhance the adhesion between MWCNT and

the substrate after firing. click here MWCNT field emitters and the vacuum gauge were fabricated by the screen-printing process, where the field emitters were used as electron source. In the mixture of MWCNTs, the organic binder was premixed through an ultra-sonication for 30 min. Then, a three-roll milling process was carried out for mixing and dispersion of MWCNTs in the organic binder to form a polymer matrix. Mechanically well-dispersed MWCNT paste was printed onto an ITO glass. The residue of organic binder leads to problems such as outgassing and arcing during a field emission measurement. Therefore, organic materials in paste were removed by drying the printed MWCNT paste in the furnace for 30 min at 400°C to obtain stable emission characteristics. The gas sensing and field Nintedanib (BIBF 1120) emission areas were printed in cathode plate. The MWCNT paste film was fired at 350°C in nitrogen (N2) ambient in a furnace. Finally, the MWCNTs in

printed cathode layer are randomly distributed in a matrix material. Therefore, their emission characteristics are poor compared to, for instance, highly ordered arrays of vertically aligned MWCNTs. The surface treatment of printed MWCNTs was performed for vertical alignment as well as protrusion of MWCNTs from the surface to increase of field emission current and to improve the sensitivity of the vacuum gauge. The proposed vacuum device is a vacuum gauge with a field emitter structure, as shown in Figure 1. The MWCNT vacuum gauge area was connected with a pair of ITO electrodes on the glass plate of cathode to measure the electrical parameters. In addition, the molybdenum (Mo) patterned on glass was used as the anode plate. Two glass plates (cathode and anode glasses) were assembled by a distance of 240 μm. When the cathode plate was applied with high voltage, field emission current was obtained.