A deep ultraviolet to near-infrared photoresponse from glucose-derived graphene oxide

Abstract

Graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized by a hydrothermal method using glucose solution as the sole reagent. The wavelength-dependent photoresponse of GO was investigated by fabricating metal–GO–metal photodetectors. The devices demonstrated a broadband photoresponse from 290 to 1610 nm covering deep ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared (NIR), which is the broadest spectral range yet demonstrated on GO. The response times of the photodetectors in the UV and visible range are about 100 ms, which are at least one order of magnitude faster than photodetectors based solely on GO reported previously. The responsivity of the photodetector can be as high as 23.6 mA W⁻¹ in the visible range. The wavelength-dependent photoresponse is closely related to the absorption characteristics of GO. Potential for a self-powered GO based photodetector is first demonstrated, and the device shows a prominent photoresponse at zero bias. The GO based photodetectors pave the way for developing low-cost, broadband, self-powered as well as spectrally tuneable photodetectors.