Rapidly synthesized ZnO nanowires by ultraviolet decomposition process in ambient air for flexible photodetector

We are the first group to use a simple direct ultraviolet light (UV, lambda = 365 nm, I = 76 mW cm(-2)) in a decomposition process to fabricate ZnO nanowires on a flexible substrate using a zinc acetylacetonate hydrate precursor in ambient air. ZnO nanocrystal (or nanowire) production only requires three to ten minutes. A field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) image reveals a high aspect ratio of the ZnO nanowires, which are grown on a substrate with a diameter of similar to 50-100 nm, and a length of up to several hundred microns. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images reveal that the nanowires consist of many single crystalline ZnO nanoparticles that grow along the c axis, which suggests an oriented attachment process. A potential application for flexible UV photodetectors was investigated using a UV lamp (lambda = 365 nm, I = 2.34 mW cm(-2)). A significant ratio of photocurrent to dark current-around 11 300%-was achieved.