Work

Electrophoretic Deposition of Highly Dispersed Carbon Nanotubes for Improving Uniformity and Stability in an Eight-Beam Field-Emission X-Ray Source

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Carbon nanotube (CNT) cathodes offer compact size, rapid response, and simplified thermal management, making them promising for stationary tomosynthesis and computed tomography (CT). In this study, we improved the high-purity production process for small-diameter multi-walled CNTs and developed a novel five-state cathode fabrication process based on electrophoretic deposition. This process increased the field-emission current while enabling the reproducible fabrication of cathodes with high consistency. The resulting multi-beam X-ray source, integrating eight cathodes, operated stably at an anode voltage of 110 kV, a pulse width of 5 ms, and a set cathode current of 40 mA (anode current: 25 mA), with an actual current deviation of less than 0.5% among the cathodes and a gate-control-voltage deviation of less than 3.7%. An eight-angle imaging test and 200 h operation (5.76 × 106 pulses) demonstrated that the tube can provide high-resolution imaging, rapid multi-angle acquisition, and stable long-term operation, thereby demonstrating potential for commercial applications. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate both highly consistent fabrication of high-current CNT cathodes and sustained high-current operation of a multi-beam X-ray tube, providing a key hardware platform for development on stationary tomosynthesis and CT, and may facilitate further advances in medical imaging technology.

Source: C – Journal of Carbon Research

DOI: 10.3390/c12040081