Electron energy distributions in a metal-polymer-vacuum system

The energy distributions of electrons emitted from a metal coated with a polymer (polydiphenylene phthalide) is studied experimentally using field electron spectroscopy. A considerable decrease in the electron work function for the metal-polymer-vacuum system as compared to pure metal is observed. Analysis of the energy distributions of emitted electrons shows that the distribution in the case with the polymer is broader and displaced towards low energies, and its high-energy edge is slightly extended. The effect of emission voltage on the shape of the energy distribution of emitted electrons is studied. A model is proposed to explain the substantial decrease in the effective electron work function in the case when the metal electrode is coated with a polymer film.