Flexible Broadband Image Sensors with SnS Quantum Dots/Zn₂SnO₄ Nanowires Hybrid Nanostructures

Broadband image sensors are widely studied and applied in many fields. However, developing high-performance flexible broadband imaging is still a great challenge that needs to be overcome. This study demonstrates a flexible broadband image sensor with SnS quantum dots (QDs)/Zn₂SnO₄ (ZTO) nanowires (NWs) hybrid nanostructures as the sensing elements, which is prepared by decorating ZTO NWs with SnS QDs via a two-step vapor deposition method. Compared with pristine ZTO NWs, the hybrid QDs/NWs exhibit much higher photoconductive gain and specific detectivity in UV region and extended photoresponse ranging from UV to NIR region. In addition, individual hybrid QDs/NW photodetector built on polyethylene terephthalate substrate shows an excellent flexibility, mechanical stability, folding endurance, and long-term stability. Integrated into a 10 × 10 array, a flexible broadband image sensor is fabricated. Under bending states, the flexible image sensor can still identify clearly the target images composed of white light and red light, revealing the outstanding target identification ability. The superior performance of the devices indicates that the QDs/NWs hybrid nanostructures have a tremendous application potential in future flexible broadband imaging technology.