A simple, repeatable and highly stable self-powered solar-blind photoelectrochemical-type photodetector using amorphous Ga2O3 films grown on 3D carbon fiber paper

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. C, Materials for optical and electronic devices Vol. 9; no. 32; pp. 10354 - 10360
• Main Authors: Huang, Lijuan, Hu, Zhengrui, Zhang, Hong, Xiong, Yuanqiang, Fan, Shiqiang, Kong, Chunyang, Li, Wanjun, Ye, Lijuan, Li, Honglin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Royal Society of Chemistry 28.08.2021
• Subjects: Carbon fibers; Electric fields; Gallium oxides; Heterojunctions; Materials selection; Photoelectricity; Photometers; Ultraviolet detectors
• ISSN: 2050-7526; 2050-7534
• DOI: 10.1039/d1tc02471j

Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) has been extensively studied recently because it is a natural candidate material for next generation solar-blind deep ultraviolet photodetectors (PDs). In this study, three dimensional (3D) amorphous Ga2O3 films (a-Ga2O3) were grown on carbon fibre paper (CFP) using a facile one-pot sputtering method. The prepared a-Ga2O3/CFP core–shell composites were used as photoanode materials for a new type of solar-blind photoelectrochemical (PEC)-type photodetector. By constructing a solid/liquid heterojunction, the resulting built-in electric field can separate electron–hole pairs effectively, facilitating a self-powering ability in this PEC-type photodetector. The device exhibited a maximum responsivity of approximately 12.90 mA W−1 and a rapid photoresponse time of around 0.15/0.13 s without external bias potential. Additionally, the PEC-type photodetector demonstrated outstanding stability after significant usage over a one-year period. The excellent performance of the fabricated a-Ga2O3/CFP core–shell photoanode, for self-powered PEC-type photodetectors, is extremely promising in the field of solar-blind photoelectric detection.