High-performance hybrid phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl Ester/Cd ₃P₂ nanowire ultraviolet-visible-near infrared photodetectors

In this work, single-crystalline p-type Cd₃P₂ nanowires (NWs) were synthesized on a Cd sheet via a facile chemical vapor deposition method. Then field-effect transistors and high-performance photodetectors were fabricated based on these NWs. It was found that hole mobility of a pristine Cd₃P₂ NW is around 2.94 cm ² V^-1 s^-1. Meanwhile, high responsivity and photoconductive gain were observed on these devices across a broad spectral range covering UV-visible to NIR with high stability and reproducibility. Furthermore, hybrid organic-inorganic n-type phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and p-type Cd₃P₂ NW heterojunction photodetectors were also fabricated, exhibiting much improved photocurrent and photoconductive gain, as compared to the device made of pristine Cd ₃P₂ NWs. Intriguingly, the flexible hybrid photodetectors have been fabricated on plastic substrates and characterized under various bending conditions, demonstrating their excellent flexibility and robustness. The high performance and flexibility of the hybrid photodetectors are promising for further applications requiring large-area, high-sensitivity, and high-speed photodetectors with broad-spectrum photoresponse.