Disordered photonics coupled with embedded nano-Au plasmonics inducing efficient photocurrent enhancement

Spatial order used to be considered as a benefit for photonics; but recently the study of disorder has broken into people's horizons for its strong random scattering of light. In this work, disordered photonics coupled with plasmonics for efficiently enhanced photocurrent was first investigated using Au-ZnO nanowire array as a model. The embedded Au-ZnO nanowire array was facilely prepared using a template-free electrodeposition method. On the optimal plasmonic substrate, the photocurrent of disorder-enhanced Au-ZnO nanowire array is about 20-fold that of ZnO nanowire array. Both the plasmonic effect of Au NPs such as localized surface plasmons, surface plasmon polarizations and the disorder-enhanced photonics in the hybrid structure are available to improve the photoelectric conversion efficiency by enhancing the trapping of the simulated sunlight and the collection of charge carriers. Herein, disordered photonics was coupled with plasmonics to explain for the enhanced photocurrent. This work also provided a facile fabricating avenue for plasmonic noble metal embedded in semiconductor devices.