Simulation Photosynthesis Improves the Photoresponse Performance of Cr2Ge2Te6 Nanosheets for High-Performance Self-Powered Photoelectrochemical Photodetectors

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor materials have been extensively studied as excellent candidates for future optoelectronic devices. Cr2Ge2Te6, as a two-dimensional semiconductor material, has attracted extensive interest in the field of photodetectors due to its excellent light absorption properties and suitable band gap. Inspired by biological photosynthesis, this study constructed a high-performance biomimetic self-powered photoelectrochemical-type flexible photodetector using liquid-stripped Cr2Ge2Te6 nanosheets as the photoanode. The device exhibits obvious self-powered photoresponse behavior and excellent photoresponse performance with a responsivity of 54.4 μA/W. Furthermore, the addition of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) effectively consumes the photo-excited holes on the Cr2Ge2Te6 nanosheets to inhibit the recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, and the cyclic regeneration of NADPH is realized by adding adenosine triphosphate. In addition, the flexible photodetector also exhibits excellent stability and durability, and it still maintains good photoresponse characteristics after 1000 times of bending and folding. Our work fully confirms that it is an effective means to improve the photoresponse performance of 2D materials by simulating biological photosynthesis, and it also provides theoretical and experimental guidance for the research and development of high-performance biomimetic devices.