Patterned Growth of AgBiS2 Nanostructures on Arbitrary Substrates for Broadband and Eco-Friendly Optoelectronic Sensing

Patterning of functional nanomaterials shows a promising path in advanced fabrication of electronic and optoelectronic devices. Current micropatterning strategies are indispensable of post-etching/lifting-off processes that contaminate/damage the functional materials. Here, we develop an innovative, low-temperature, post-lift-off-free, seeds-confined fabricating strategy that can tackle this issue, thus achieving designated patterns of flower-shaped AgBiS2 nanostructures at either micro- or macroscale on arbitrary substrates that are either regid or flexible. Made of patterned AgBiS2 nanostructures, the photoconductor shows broadband (320 nm-2200 nm), sensitive (Rpeak = 1.56 A/W), and fast (less than 100 μs) photoresponses. Further, single-pixel raster-scanning and 28 × 12 focal plane array imaging are performed to demonstrate reliable and resolved electrical responses to optical patterns, showing potential in practical imaging applications. Notably, the patterning process enables strain-releasing micro-structures, which lead to the fabrication of a flexible photodetector with high durability upon over 1000 bending/recovering testing loops. This work provides a simple, low-temperature and eco-friendly strategy to address the current challenges in non-aggressive micro-fabrications and arbitrary patterning of semiconductors, which are promising to meet the development of further emerging technologies in scalable and wearable optoelectronic sensors.