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Coexistence of Photoelectric Conversion and Storage in van der Waals Heterojunctions

Yucheng Jiang, Anpeng He, Run Zhao, Yu Chen, Guozhen Liu, Hao Lu, Jinlei Zhang, Qing Zhang, Zhuo Wang, Chen Zhao, Mingshen Long, Weida Hu, Lin Wang, Yaping Qi, Ju Gao, Quanying Wu, Xiaotian Ge, Jiqiang Ning, Andrew T. S. Wee, and Cheng-Wei Qiu
Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 217401 – Published 19 November 2021
Physics logo See Focus story: Device Acts as Both Solar Cell and Battery
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Abstract

Van der Waals (vdW) heterojunctions, based on two-dimensional (2D) materials, have great potential for the development of ecofriendly and high-efficiency nanodevices, which shows valuable applications as photovoltaic cells, photodetectors, etc. However, the coexistence of photoelectric conversion and storage in a single device has not been achieved until now. Here, we demonstrate a simple strategy to construct a vdW pn junction between a WSe2 layer and quasi-2D electron gas. After an optical illumination, the device stores the light-generated carriers for up to seven days, and then releases a very large photocurrent of 2.9 mA with bias voltage applied in darkness; this is referred to as chargeable photoconductivity (CPC), which completely differs from any previously observed photoelectric phenomenon. In normal photoconductivity, the recombination of electron-hole pairs occurs at the end of their lifetime; in contrast, infinite-lifetime photocarriers can be generated and stored in CPC devices without recombination. The photoelectric conversion and storage are completely self-excited during the charging process. The ratio between currents in full- and empty-photocarrier states below the critical temperature reaches as high as 109, with an external quantum efficiency of 93.8% during optical charging. A theoretical model developed to explain the mechanism of this effect is in good agreement with the experimental data. This work paves a path toward the high-efficiency devices for photoelectric conversion and storage.

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  • Received 15 January 2020
  • Revised 2 June 2021
  • Accepted 27 September 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.217401

© 2021 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Focus

Key Image

Device Acts as Both Solar Cell and Battery

Published 19 November 2021

A new photoelectric device can convert light into charge that it can then store indefinitely.

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Authors & Affiliations

Yucheng Jiang1,*, Anpeng He1,‡, Run Zhao1, Yu Chen1, Guozhen Liu1, Hao Lu1, Jinlei Zhang1, Qing Zhang2, Zhuo Wang3, Chen Zhao2, Mingshen Long4, Weida Hu4, Lin Wang5, Yaping Qi6, Ju Gao1,7, Quanying Wu1, Xiaotian Ge8, Jiqiang Ning8, Andrew T. S. Wee9, and Cheng-Wei Qiu2,†

  • 1Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Micro and Nano Heat Fluid Flow Technology and Energy Application, School of Physical Science and Technology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215009, People’s Republic of China
  • 2Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117583, Singapore
  • 3International Collaborative Laboratory of 2D Materials for Optoelectronics Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, Institute of Microscale Optoelectronics, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
  • 4State Key Laboratory of Infrared Physics, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 500 Yu Tian Road, Shanghai 200083, China
  • 5School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
  • 6Purdue Quantum Science and Engineering Institute, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
  • 7School for Optoelectronic Engineering, Zaozhuang University, Shandong 277160, China
  • 8Vacuum Interconnected Nanotech Workstation, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-Bionics (SINANO), Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, People’s Republic of China
  • 9Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117551, Singapore

  • *Corresponding author. jyc@usts.edu.cn
  • Corresponding author. chengwei.qiu@nus.edu.sg
  • A. H. has the same contribution as Y. J.

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Issue

Vol. 127, Iss. 21 — 19 November 2021

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