Enhanced Field Emission Properties of Au/SnSe Nano-heterostructure: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Investigation - dataset

Tin selenide (SnSe), an inorganic layered metal chalcogenide material with direct and indirect bandgap of 0.9 eV and 1.3 eV, respectively, is a promising material for field emission applications. In the related publication, we present a simple and yet very effective method for synthesizing the SnSe NSs and Au/SnSe NHS with superior field emission performance. Surface modification of the SnSe NSs via Au nanoparticles decoration is demonstrated to significantly enhance the field emission characteristics of the resulting Au/SnSe NHS. Ultra-low turn-on field and reliable high emission current density was obtained through the Au/SnSe nanocomposite formation. Through first-principles Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations, we have provided atomic-level insights into the structure of the Au/SnSe NHS and the corresponding work function tuning.

The experimental and Density functional theory (DFT) theoretical simulation datasets are available in the .xlsx format (can be viewed either by MS Office or Libre Office) comprising 8 datasheets named by their contents. The experimental data comprises of X-ray diffraction patterns of SnSe NSs and Au/SnSe NHS, the field emission current versus applied field (J-E) characteristic, the Fowler-Nordheim (F-N) data, and the emission current versus time (I-t) data. Data for the DFT optimized structures for the bulk SnSe is available in the CONTCAR format of the VASP simulation program The CONTCAR files consist of lattice parameter and atomic positions and can be viewed either by MS Office or WordPad. The density of states (DOS) data are in 2 columns: the first column is the Energy (eV) and the second column is the intensity of the DOS (arb. units). The electrostatic potential data for the naked and Au-covered SnSe surface are provided. All data can be plotted using any plotting software, e.g., xmgrace, excel. 

Research results based upon these data are published at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-58840-8