Highly sensitive and self powered ultraviolet photo detector based on ZnO nanorods coated with TiO2

Abstract

Nanorods (NRs) of crystalline ZnO coated with thin layers of TiO$_2$(ZnO@TiO$_2$) were fabricated with the help of the spin coating technique followed by the hydrothermal method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the morphology and structural stability of as-prepared NRs. The optical band gaps of the NRs were estimated, and a clear blue shift toward the UV region has been detected. When UV light falls on as-prepared device (i.e., in the "ON" state), a significant increase in photocurrent (I$_{UV}$) at zero voltage supply was observed from 6 $\mu$A to 17 $\mu$A while in the "OFF" state, the dark current (I$_{dark}$), increases from 0.08 $\mu$A to 0.6 $\mu$A with ZnO@TiO$_2$ NRs as compared to bare ZnO NRs respectively. Responsivity and detectivity of TiO$_2$ coated ZnO NRs based device found maximum in UV region unlike bare ZnO NRs. Enhanced photocurrent achieved by the growth of TiO$_2$ layers on ZnO NRs is 250 $\mu$A as compared to bare ZnO NRs for which it is 35 $\mu$A at 10 V voltage supply under the ultraviolet irradiation (illumination intensity of 1 mW/cm$^2$). Furthermore, theoretical calculations have been performed using the first-principles density-functional theory to understand the effects of heterostructure NRs on the electronic and optical properties of TiO$_2$ coated ZnO.