Advancements in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) for self-powered photodetectors: challenges, properties, and functionalization strategies

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the current landscape of self-powered photodetectors, emphasizing the emerging role of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) as promising materials for addressing their growing need in this field. The importance of self-powered photodetectors in a range of applications is highlighted in the introduction, which also sets the scene for the debate. The difficulties with TMDC-based photodetectors are then discussed, highlighting the necessity for creativity. A thorough investigation is conducted into the characteristics of TMDCs that are relevant to self-powered photodetectors, such as their high carrier mobilities, mechanical flexibility, thermal conductivity, strong spin-valley coupling, optical qualities, and electrical characteristics. Because of these intrinsic qualities, TMDCs are attractive options for self-powered photodetectors. This review paper then explores different functionalization approaches to induce self-powered properties in TMDCs, including surface functionalization, covalent functionalization, non-covalent functionalization, strain engineering, doping, and photoinduced charge transfer for optoelectronic property modulation. A detailed discussion of each method is provided, highlighting its potential to improve TMDCs performance. Simultaneously, various device architectures used as self-powered photodetectors, emphasizing the benefits and drawbacks of each, including avalanche photodiodes, bipolar junction transistors, and metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) combinations have been discussed.