Ultrathin In₂O₃ Nanosheets toward High Responsivity and Rejection Ratio Visible‐Blind UV Photodetection

Abstract

Photoelectrochemical-type visible-blind ultraviolet photodetectors (PEC VBUV PDs) have gained ever-growing attention due to their simple fabrication processes, uncomplicated packaging technology, and high sensitivity. However, it is still challenging to achieve high-performance PEC VBUV PDs based on a single material with good spectral selectivity. Here, it is demonstrated that individual ultrathin indium oxide (In₂ O₃ ) nanosheets (NSs) are suitable for designing high-performance PEC VBUV PDs with high responsivity and UV/visible rejection ratio for the first time. In₂ O₃ NSs PEC PDs show excellent UV photodetection capability with an ultrahigh photoresponsivity of 172.36 mA W^-1 and a high specific detectivity of 4.43 × 10¹¹ Jones under 254 nm irradiation, which originates from the smaller charge transfer resistance (R_ct ) at the In₂ O₃ NSs/electrolyte interface. The light absorption of In₂ O₃ NSs takes a blueshift due to the quantum confinement effect, granting good spectral selectivity for visible-blind detection. The UV/visible rejection ratio of In₂ O₃ NSs PEC PDs is 1567, which is 30 times higher than that of In₂ O₃ nanoparticles (NPs) and exceeds all recently reported PEC VBUV PDs. Moreover, In₂ O₃ NSs PEC PDs show good stability and good underwater imaging capability. The results verify that ultrathin In₂ O₃ NSs have potential in underwater optoelectronic devices.