WO3 nanowires on carbon papers: electronic transport, improved ultraviolet-light photodetectors and excellent field emitters

Abstract

Single-crystalline WO3 nanowires were synthesized on carbon papers through a chemical vapor deposition process without using any catalysts. WO3 nanowire field-effect transistors (FETs) were constructed to discuss the mechanism of electronic transport based on a thermal-activation model and a displacive transition. Photoconductive measurements showed that individual WO3 nanowire photodetector was sensitive to the ultraviolet light, and the photoresponse was further improved using WO3 nanowires on carbon papers, demonstrating significantly shortened response and decay times, and enhanced stability. Field-emission measurements showed that WO3 nanowires were excellent field-emitters: an ultralow turn-on field of 1.8 V μm−1 and a threshold field of 3.3 V μm−1, and a high field-enhancement factor of 6.9 × 103. These results indicate that present unique WO3 nanowires on carbon papers are promising candidates for constructing high-performance electronic and optoelectronic devices.