From Rigid to Flexible: Ce-BTC-MOF-Enabled Self-Powered Photodetectors with Record-High Responsivity and Detectivity.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optoelectronics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are emerging materials with tunable properties.
• MOF-based photodetectors are under development but face performance limitations.
• Self-powered photodetectors offer advantages in energy efficiency and portability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop high-performance MOF-based self-powered photodetectors.
• To investigate the effect of spin coating parameters on MOF film properties.
• To explore novel design strategies for flexible MOF optoelectronic devices.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of Cerium BTC (Ce-BTC) MOF films via spin coating.
• Fabrication of Ce-BTC/n-Si and Ce-BTC/ZnO heterojunction photodetectors.
• Characterization of optoelectrical properties, including responsivity, detectivity, and decay time.

Main Results:

• Spin coating volume controlled the optoelectrical properties of Ce-BTC films.
• The Ce-BTC/n-Si photodetector achieved commercial-grade responsivity (>100 mA/W) and ultrafast decay.
• The flexible Ce-BTC/ZnO self-powered photodetector demonstrated superior responsivity (2 mA/W) and detectivity (7.98 × 10^10 Jones).

Conclusions:

• Ce-BTC MOF films exhibit excellent potential for high-performance photodetectors.
• The developed MOF-based photodetectors surpass existing MOF counterparts.
• This work expands MOF applications in optoelectronics and flexible devices, highlighting their potential as semiconductors.