An aromatic acid based supramolecular Zn(II)-metallogel for fabricating light-sensitive metal-semiconductor junction type Schottky diode with satisfactory rectification ratios

An supramolecular Zn(II)-metallogel (Zn@TA) is formed by ultra-sonication using Zinc(II) acetate dihydrate and terephthalic acid in N,N-dimethyl formamide medium. The visco-elastic nature of semi-solid Zn@TA metallogel is established through rheological investigations. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopic (FESEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopic (TEM) images establish the morphology and network of metallogel. The gel formation-strategy is scrutinized through Mass and infrared spectral analysis. Promising electronic charge transport property and photo-sensitivity of metal-semiconductor junction based Schottky diode are explored by metallogel-based devices. The direct optical band gap of Zn@TA is calculated as 3.19 eV. Significantly, the electrical conductivities of Zn@TA based semiconducting device were measured as 7.77 x 10(-6) and 17.66 x 10(- 6)S m(- 1) under no-light and light conditions, respectively. Rectification ratio of that device under dark at +/-;2 V was computed as 37.06, whereas with AM 1.5 G (light-irradiation) condition the ratio was found as 79.63.

Automated summary

A supramolecular Zn(II)-metallogel with visco-elastic nature and well-defined morphology and network is prepared by ultra-sonication method. The gel formation strategy is investigated through spectroscopic analysis. Promising electronic charge transport and photo-sensitivity properties are explored using metallogel-based devices.