An ultraviolet photodetector fabricated from WO3 nanodiscs/reduced graphene oxide composite material

A high sensitivity, fast ultraviolet (UV) photodetector was fabricated from WO3 nanodiscs (NDs)/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composite material. The WO3 NDs/reduced GO composite material was synthesized using a facile three-step synthesis procedure. First, the Na2WO4/GO precursor was synthesized by homogeneous precipitation. Second, the Na2WO4/GO precursor was transformed into H2WO4/GO composites by acidification. Finally, the H2WO4/GO composites were reduced to WO3 NDs/RGO via a hydrothermal reduction process. The UV photodetector showed a fast transient response and high responsivity, which are attributed to the improved carrier transport and collection efficiency through graphene. The excellent material properties of the WO3 NDs/RGO composite demonstrated in this work may open up new possibilities for using WO3 NDs/RGO for future optoelectronic applications. (paper)