Graphene-perovskite hybrids make new super-detectors

The lead-containing perovskite materials can turn light into electricity with high efficiency, which is why they have revolutionized solar cell technologies. On the other hand, graphene is known for its super-strength as well as its excellent electrical conductivity. Combining the two materials, EPFL scientists have created the first ever class of hybrid transistors that turn light into electricity with high sensitivity and at room temperature. The work is published in Small.

The lab of László Forró at EPFL, where the chemical activity is led by Endre Horváth, used its expertise in microengineering to create nanowires of the perovskite methylammonium lead iodide. This highly non-trivial route for the synthesis of nanowires was developed by him in 2014 and called slip-coating method. The advantage of nanowires is their consistency, while their manufacturing can be controlled to modify their architecture and explore different designs.

Making a device by depositing the perovskite nanowires onto graphene has increased the efficiency in converting light to electrical current at room temperature. “Such a device shows almost 750,000 times higher photoresponse compared to detectors made only with perovskite nanowires,” added Massimo Spina who fabricated the miniature photodetectors. Because of this exceptionally high sensitivity, the graphene/perovskite nanowire hybrid device is considered to be a superb candidate for even a single-photon detection.

This work was founded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The hybrid devices were fabricated in part at EPFL’s Center for Micro/Nanotechnology.

Reference

Spina M, Lehmann M, Náfrádi B, Bernard L, Bonvin E, Gaál R, Magrez A, Forró L, Horváth E. Microengineered CH3NH3PbI3 Nanowire/Graphene Phototransistor for Low-Intensity Light Detection at Room Temperature.Small 14 July 2015. DOI: 10.1002/smll.201501257