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Simple fabrication of a UV photodetector based on electrospun ZnO crystalline nanofibers

Abstract:

This work reports the successful fabrication of a UV photodetector based on ZnO crystalline nanofibers obtained by electrospinning of PSG/ZnAc (pork skin gelatin/zinc acetate) precursor solution and subsequent calcination at 550 °C. FE-SEM images revealed a homogeneous morphology with porous fibers of 74 ± 19 nm diameter. At the same time, XRD and FTIR analyses confirmed the formation of ZnO after the calcination process, with wurtzite structure and preferential orientation in the (002) plane. The optical properties exhibited a direct energy bandgap of 3.28 eV, making it suitable for applications in the UV-A range. The device exhibited excellent photoconductive performance, with a photocurrent of 81.8 nA at 1.91 mW cm<sup>−2</sup> (5 V), an I<inf>photo</inf>/I<inf>dark</inf> ratio ≈ of approximately 8, and characteristic response (2.1 s) and recovery (125 s) times. The responsiveness reached 6.54 mA W<sup>−1</sup>, suggesting a photodetection mechanism based on trap-controlled relaxation processes. The combination of their crystallinity, controlled morphology, and prolonged stability (1000 s) positions these ZnO nanofibers as promising candidates for the development of UV sensors in environmental applications and advanced optoelectronic systems.