Model of work function of tungsten cathodes with barium oxide coating

Using a full-potential band structure approach, we have investigated the work function of barium oxide coated tungsten cathodes in low pressure discharge lamps. The main objective of this work is to understand why the work function for such cathodes is lower than that of the uncoated tungsten. The model studied in this work is based on a well known supposition that the source of thermionic electrons is the barium atoms released from the barium oxide coating due to a chemical reaction with the underlying metallic tungsten. For the unrelaxed seven-layer model of (100) surface of barium on barium oxide, the work function is calculated to be 2.22 eV, which is lower than that of BaO, Ba, and W metals separately. For a fully relaxed nine-layer surface, it becomes 1.36 eV. Although this value of the work function is lower than those estimated for the fluorescent cathodes by electrical measurements, which averages contributions from surfaces in all possible random orientations, this model provides a satisfactory explanation of the lowering of the work function of tungsten based cathodes in low pressure fluorescent lamps.