On Thu, 3 Nov 2016 09:16:52 -0400, "Robert Clark"
wrote:

The nanotubes may become longer lasting by using bundles of nanotubes:

Arrays of Bundles of Carbon Nanotubes as Field Emitters.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
Thursday, 01 February 2007
Area-averaged current densities exceed those of arrays of single nanotubes.
"Experiments have shown that with suitable choices of critical dimensions,
planar arrays of bundles of carbon nanotubes (see figure) can serve as
high-current-density field emitter (cold-cathode) electron sources. Whereas
some hot-cathode electron sources must be operated at supply potentials of
thousands of volts, these cold-cathode sources generate comparable current
densities when operated at tens of volts. Consequently, arrays of bundles of
carbon nanotubes might prove useful as cold-cathode sources in miniature,
lightweight electron-beam devices (e.g., nanoklystrons) soon to be
developed."
http://www.techbriefs.com/component/...-sciences/1206

And in any case you don't need to use the nanowires as electron emitters to
get the ionization effect. You get it as well from the intense electric
fields generated by wires at the nanoscale in accordance with Peek's Law:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peek%27s_law

Note it may be the nanoscale wires might not even need to be carbon
nanotubes. According to Peek's Law simply being at nanoscale diameters is
sufficient to generate the intense fields. Since there is much research
ongoing with metallic nanowires they as well could be used to confirm the
better efficiency of ionic propulsion with wires at the nanoscale.

In regards to getting longer nanotubes by tying them together, that has
already been confirmed experimentally by a team at Rice University, the
leading center for nanotechnology in the U.S. That research was published in
Nature Materials, the associated journal in materials science to Nature, the
leading science journal in the world. The Rice team was able to show simply
tying nanotubes together produced longer nanotubes of greater current
capacity than the copper or aluminum wires now in use and at lighter weight.

About the power requirements, the ionic propulsion with ionizing wires,
called corona wires, at the nanoscale has improved power-to-thrust ratio.
Then the needed power can be supplied by onboard batteries.

Bob Clark

Get back to us when Honda is selling flying cars.

And note that top-posting is an email thing, discouraged on usenet.



--

John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc

lunatic fringe electronics