Graphene oxide:FeO nanocomposites for photodetector applications: experimental and density functional theory study.

In this report, a GO:FeO nanocomposite was synthesized using a one-step covalent attachment approach using a sol-gel technique. The optical absorbance, photoconductive, photo-capacitive, and electrical properties were obtained using spectroscopy, and current-voltage (-) measurements. An enhanced optical absorbance with corresponding band gap reduction is observed when FeO nanoparticles are incorporated in GO. A corresponding enhanced photoconductance in the order of ×10 was observed due to the impact of band gap narrowing. The enhanced photoconductivity and photo-capacitance can be attributed to energy and charge transfer between GO and Fe atoms, leading to the generation of photo-induced excitons. Density function theory calculations indicate increased charge transfer when GO is doped with Fe-O atoms, which is consistent with experimental data. The observed results could potentially enable the use of GO:FeO nanocomposites for photodetectors and other optoelectronic applications.