Pulsed laser ablation produces next-generation optoelectronic devices

Canadian researchers have discovered that novel nanohybrid structures combined with pulsed laser ablation could lead to a new generation of optoelectronic switches, fast photodetectors and third-generation solar devices. The results were published in Advanced Materials.

Research on the optoelectronic properties of semiconductor nanoparticles, such as lead sulfide (PbS), has grown significantly in recent years. The combination of lead sulfide and carbon nanotubes can effectively generate photocurrent, but conventional synthesis methods still have limitations.

Now, scientists at the INRS Energy Materials Communication Research Center are using a relatively simple procedure to synthesize nanoparticles, which could provide a great deal of freedom for creating other nanomixtures for a variety of applications. Pulsed laser ablation (PLA) technology is capable of producing more pure nanostructures.

Professor My Ali El Khakani said: “When chemically synthesizing nanohybrids, researchers utilize ligands to prevent the transfer of charge dynamics from nanoparticles to nanotubes. Ligands can reduce photoresponse efficiency and increase reaction time – two effects Neither was observed when the particles were synthesized using the pulsed ablation method, because the lead sulfide has direct atomic contact with the carbon nanotube surface."

Integrating nanohybrid materials into functional optoelectronic devices may yield more robust light responses than other approaches. When irradiated by a laser, the photocurrent response time of the material is 1,000 to 100,000 times longer than currently used synthetic particles.