Manipulating Nanowire Structures for an Enhanced Broad-Band Flexible Photothermoelectric Photodetector

The photothermoelectric effect, directly converting light energy into electrical energy, shows promising prospects in self-powered broad-band optical detection, which can extend to various applications, such as sensing, optoelectronic communications, and wide-temperature-range measurements. However, the low photosensitivity, narrow-band response, and rapid performance degeneration under continuous illumination restrict its broad application. Herein, we propose a simple bottom-up strategy to manipulate nanowires (NWs) into a well-defined multilayer TeAg2Te-Ag NW film, resulting in a high-performance photothermoelectric photodetector with a broad-band responsivity (4.1 V/W), large detectivity (944 MHz(1/)(2) W-1), and fast response speed (0.40.7 s from 365 to 1200 nm). In addition, the ultrathin structure endows this device with slow and weak transverse heat conduction, enabling a stable voltage without an obvious degeneration over 1500 s. The highly anisotropic arrangement of NWs gives this device a prominent polarization sensitivity. Prospectively, this hierarchically designed nanowire film provides a promising pathway toward engineering photodetectors with high performance.

Automated summary

This study presents a simple and effective method to create multi-layered structures in nanowire films, resulting in a photothermoelectric photodetector with broad-band responsivity, fast response speed, stability, and polarization sensitivity.