Efficient carbon nanotube field emitter using electrospun carbon nanofibers as a flexible electrode

Thermal-stable, conductive, and flexible carbon fabric (CF), which is composed of thin carbon fibers prepared by electrospinning, was used for the substrate of carbon nanotube (CNT) field emitter arrays. The field emitter arrays were prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The current density-electric field characteristics revealed that the CNT field emitter arrays on CF produced a higher current density at a lower turn-on voltage compared to ones on a Si substrate. This emitter integrated with a gate electrode based on hierarchy-structured carbon materials, CNTs on CF, can be used for light sources, displays, and other electronic devices. © 2009 Materials Research Society.

Practicing coastal seascape ecology

Landscape ecology concepts developed from terrestrial systems have recently emerged as theoretical and analytical frameworks that are equally useful for evaluating the ecological consequences of spatial patterns and structural changes in the submerged landscapes of coastal ecosystems. The benefits of applying a spatially-explicit perspective to resource management and restoration planning in the coastal zone are rapidly becoming apparent. This Theme Section on the application of landscape ecology to the estuarine and coastal environment emerged from a special symposium at the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) 20th Biennial Conference (Estuaries and Coasts in a Changing World) held in Portland, Oregon, USA, in November 2009. The 7 contributions in this Theme Section collectively provide substantial insights into the current status and application of the landscape approach in shallow marine environments, and identify significant knowledge gaps, as well as potential directions for the future advancement of ‘seascape ecology’.