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A fast-response and transparent solution–processed ultraviolet photodetector based on ZnO quantum–sized nanoparticles

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Abstract

Solution-processed ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors with high performance have great potential in many practical applications. In this paper, quantum-sized zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (~ 5.5 nm) were synthesized by a simple and low-cost chemical reflux method. The crystalline structure, morphologies, and optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles were investigated in detail. The results showed that the as-synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were wurtzite-structured (hexagonal) ZnO and had specific surface area as high as 68.3 m2/g, the ZnO nanoparticulate thin films had a strong absorption in UV region and optical bandgap of 3.28 eV. Furthermore, an UV photodetector was fabricated using the as-prepared ZnO nanoparticles, the device revealed stable, rapid and repeatable photoresponse towards 365 nm UV light, the sensitivity (S), responsivity (R), rise time (Tr), and decay time (Td) of the photodetector was 11.4 at − 0.25 V, 22.1 A/W at 3 V, 1.8 s and 47.2 s, respectively. In addition, the photoresponsive mechanism of this UV photodetector was systematically illuminated according to the adsorption-photodesorption theory of oxygen in ZnO nanoparticles.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41772068 and 11865002), the Science and Technology Research Project of the Education Bureau of Jiangxi Province, China (Grant No. GJJ190367), the Open Foundation of Jiangxi Engineering Laboratory on Radioactive Geoscience and Big Data Technology (Grant No. JELRGBDT201901), the Foundation for Ph.D. Scientific Research Initiation Project of East China University of Technology (Grant No. DHBK2019214), and the Graduate Innovation Foundation of East China University of Technology (Grant No. DHYC-202021).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangxi Engineering Laboratory on Radioactive Geoscience and Big Data Technology, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China

    Zhaolin Yuan, Hao Wu, Wei Wang & Jianfeng He

  2. Jiangxi Engineering Technology Research Center of Nuclear Geoscience Data Science and System, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China

    Zhaolin Yuan, Hao Wu, Wei Wang & Jianfeng He

  3. School of Software, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China

    Zhaolin Yuan, Hao Wu, Wei Wang & Jianfeng He

  4. State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China

    Fengjun Nie

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  1. Zhaolin Yuan
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  2. Hao Wu
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  3. Wei Wang
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  4. Fengjun Nie
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  5. Jianfeng He
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Correspondence to Zhaolin Yuan.

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Yuan, Z., Wu, H., Wang, W. et al. A fast-response and transparent solution–processed ultraviolet photodetector based on ZnO quantum–sized nanoparticles. J Nanopart Res 22, 324 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-020-05056-6

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