Highly flexible self-powered photodetectors based on core–shell Sb/CdS nanowires

Flexible photodetectors have great applications in flexible image sensors, wearable electronics and smart robots. In this study, we reported the fabrication of highly flexible self-powered photodetectors with core–shell Sb/CdS nanowires as the sensing materials. The fabricated device exhibited a high Ion/Ioff ratio of 3.54 × 103 under zero bias, fast speed of photoresponse and great stability. An open circuit voltage of 0.35 V was generated due to the presence of CdS and CdSb interfaces within the core–shell nanowires. Moreover, the photocurrent of the flexible device was nearly invariable at various bending angles and even after thousands of bending cycles, demonstrating its excellent flexibility and bending stability. The results indicate that the self-powered photodetectors are promising candidates for future passive optoelectronic devices.