As a narrow band semiconductor at room temperature and a metallic material above ∼68 °C, functional VO2 films are widely investigated for smart windows, whereas their potential for ultraviolet–visible–infrared (UV–vis–IR) broad spectral photodetectors has not been efficiently studied. In this report, photodetectors based on VO2–ZnO nanocrystal composite films were prepared by nanocrystal-mist (NC-mist) deposition. An enhanced photodetection switching ratio was achieved covering the ultraviolet to infrared wavelength. Due to the synergetic effect of nanosize, surface, phase transition, percolation threshold, and the band structure of the heterojunction, the transfer and transport of photogenerated carriers modulate the device performance. This study probes new chances of applying VO2-semiconductor-based nanocomposites for broad spectral photodetectors.
Ruixin Guo,Shu Guo,Mingjun Xia,Lijuan Liu,Minjuan Li,Sangen Zhao,Xiaoyang Wang
Ba1.09Pb0.91Be2(BO3)2F2 (BPBBF), a previously unreported lead-containing beryllium borate fluoride, has been successfully grown through a high-temperature flux method. Its structure is solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD), and it is optically characterized via infrared, Raman, UV–vis–IR transmission, and polarizing spectra as well. SC-XRD data suggests that it can be indexed by a trigonal unit cell (space group P3m1) with lattice parameters a = 4.7478(6) Å, c = 8.3856(12) Å, Z = 1, and V = 163.70(5) Å. This material could be considered as a derivative of the Sr2Be2B2O7 (SBBO) structural motif. It consists of 2D [Be3B3O6F3]∞ layers in the crystallographic ab plane, with divalent Ba2+ or Pb2+ cations serving as spacers among the adjacent layers. Ba and Pb were found to adopt a disordered arrangement in the trigonal prismatic coordination within the BPBBF structural lattice, which is evidenced by both structural refinements against SC-XRD data and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The UV absorption edge (279.1 nm) and birefringence (Δn = 0.054@ 546.1 nm) of BPBBF are confirmed by UV–vis–IR transmission and polarizing spectra, respectively. The discovery of this previous unreported SBBO-type material, BPBBF, along with other reported analogues such as BaMBe2(BO3)2F2 (M = Ca, Mg, and Cd), provide a prodigious example for tuning the bandgap, birefringence, and short UV absorption edge via simple chemical substitution.