Synthesis, characterization, and analysis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using varying pulsed laser ablation energies in liquid

AbstractNanoparticles (NPs) find widespread applications in detectors, catalysis, optoelectronics, and medical devices, owing to their high surface-to-volume ratio and zero-dimensional confinement. However, addressing environmental concerns is crucial during the creation of novel nanostructured materials. Herein, ZnO NPs of different sizes were prepared via the pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) method at energies of 70, 90, and 130 mJ. The morphology and structural properties of the synthesized NPs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, and transmission electron microscopy. zeta-sizer and zeta-potential were used to ensure the physical stability of NPs. UV-Vis spectrophotometry measurement showed a blue shift in the band gaps with an increase in the pulsed laser energy leading to a decrease in the size of the NPs. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy technique confirmed the formation of ZnO NPs

A Photodetector Based on p‑Si/n-ZnO Nanotube Heterojunctions with High Ultraviolet Responsivity

Enhanced ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors (PDs) with high responsivity comparable to that of visible and infrared photodetectors are needed for commercial applications. n-Type ZnO nanotubes (NTs) with high-quality optical, structural, and electrical properties on a p-type Si(100) substrate are successfully fabricated by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) to produce a UV PD with high responsivity, for the first time. We measure the current–voltage characteristics of the device under dark and illuminated conditions and demonstrated the high stability and responsivity (that reaches ∼101.2 A W^–1) of the fabricated UV PD. Time-resolved spectroscopy is employed to identify exciton confinement, indicating that the high PD performance is due to optical confinement, the high surface-to-volume ratio, the high structural quality of the NTs, and the high photoinduced carrier density. The superior detectivity and responsivity of our NT-based PD clearly demonstrate that fabrication of high-performance UV detection devices for commercial applications is possible