Heterostructured ZnS/InP nanowires for rigid/flexible ultraviolet photodetectors with enhanced performance.

Heterostructured ZnS/InP nanowires, composed of single-crystalline ZnS nanowires coated with a layer of InP shell, were synthesized via a one-step chemical vapor deposition process. As-grown heterostructured ZnS/InP nanowires exhibited an ultrahigh I/I ratio of 4.91 × 10, a high photoconductive gain of 1.10 × 10, a high detectivity of 1.65 × 10 Jones and high response speed even in the case of very weak ultraviolet light illumination (1.87 μW cm). The values are much higher than those of previously reported bare ZnS nanowires owing to the formation of core/shell heterostructures. Flexible ultraviolet photodetectors were also fabricated with the heterostructured ZnS/InP nanowires, which showed excellent mechanical flexibility, electrical stability and folding endurance besides excellent photoresponse properties. The results elucidated that the heterostructured ZnS/InP nanowires could find good applications in next generation flexible optoelectronic devices.