A matrix addressable diode flat panel display has been fabricated using a carbon nanotube–epoxy composite as the electron emission source. Field-emission uniformity has been confirmed by measuring the $\mathrm{I–V}$ curves of pixels across the panel. This prototype display demonstrates well-lit pixels under $\text{±150\hspace{0.17em}}\mathrm{V}$ biasing signals. The “on” and “off” of the pixels are well controlled by the half voltage “off-pixel” method. Further improvement of this technology may lead to easy-to-make and inexpensive flat panel displays.

A semiconductor laser whose cavities are “self-formed” due to strong optical scattering in highly disordered gain media is demonstrated. The lasers are made of zinc oxide polycrystalline films grown on amorphous fused silica substrates. Lasing occurs at an ultraviolet wavelength of ∼380 nm under optical pumping. Actual images of the microscopic laser cavities formed by multiple scattering have been captured. These results suggest the possibility of using disordered semiconductor microstructures as alternative sources of coherent light emission.

The increased number of carrier pockets near the Fermi level and the optimized carrier concentration in doped SnSe single crystal can lead to a high average ZT _ave ∼ 1.2 from 300 K to 800 K and a peak ZT _max value in excess of 2.0 at 800 K along the crystallographic b -axis.

The fabrication of nanotube field emitters with an onset field as low as 0.8 V/μm is described and the low-field electron emission mechanism is discussed. These emitters are made using nanotube cathode deposit with the addition of epoxy resin. The preferred orientation of nanotubes in nanotube bundles of the deposit is preserved. The nanotube tips are sharpened by exposing the nanotube bundle surface to a microwave oxygen plasma. The local-field enhancement factor is estimated to be 8000 by using the Fowler–Nordheim equation. The low onset field is attributed to the well-distributed, highly orientated sharp tips at the sample surface.

A miniature fiber-tip pressure sensor was built by using an extremely thin graphene film as the diaphragm. The graphene also acts as a light reflector, which, in conjunction with the reflection at the fiber end–air interface, forms a low finesse Fabry–Perot interferometer. The graphene based sensor demonstrated pressure sensitivity over $39.4\mathrm{nm}/\mathrm{kPa}$ with a diaphragm diameter of 25 μm. The use of graphene as diaphragm material would allow highly sensitive and compact fiber-tip sensors.