A new approach for making field emission cathodes consisting of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is discussed. The authors used a chemical displacement technique to fabricate field emission cathodes by co-depositing CNTs/nickel composite onto the surface of a zinc-coated soda-lime glass. There are several advantages of this displacement method for preparing field emission cathodes such as the uniform distribution of CNTs in the composite cathodes, low cost of consumed CNTs, low cost of instrument and equipment, feasibility of large-area mass production, and stability of plating solution, which can be used for many times and still remain useful after a long-time storage. The results show that, after the CNT purification and dispersion processes, a CNT content of 1.0 g/L, a pH value of 7.0, and a temperature of 50 +/- 3 degrees C are the optimal process conditions which give better CNT distribution in the CNTs/Ni composite emitter and better field emission performance. The CNTs/Ni composite deposited with a plating solution which has been used for tens of times has an emission effect similar to those deposited with a new solution. (c) 2009 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.