Researchers have achieved a breakthrough in high-temperature UV photodetectors using platinum-diamond nanowires.
Image Credit: PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock.com
A new study in Nano-Micro Letters by scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China and the Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science reports a major leap in photodetector technology.
The team developed a novel approach using single-crystal diamond nanowires (DNWs) embedded with platinum (Pt) nanoparticles, resulting in photodetectors that combine high performance with exceptional thermal stability.
Why Platinum-Embedded Diamond Nanowires Matter
- Enhanced Responsivity: These Pt-embedded DNWs deliver remarkable performance, achieving a responsivity of 68.5 A W-1 at room temperature under 220 nm UV light—around 2000 times higher than conventional oxygen-terminated bulk diamond devices. Even more impressive, the responsivity increases with temperature, peaking at 3098.7 A W-1 at 275 °C.
- Excellent Spectral Selectivity: The devices exhibit excellent UV/visible rejection ratios: 550 at room temperature and 4303 at 275 °C. This makes them especially well-suited for solar-blind UV detection, which excludes interference from sunlight in sensing applications.
- Improved Stability: These detectors maintain performance after 24 hours at 275 °C and still function reliably after three months in atmospheric conditions—key metrics for demanding real-world environments.
Innovative Fabrication and Mechanisms
- Unique Fabrication Process: The Pt-embedded diamond nanowires were created using a four-step process: synthesizing the initial DNWs, depositing platinum films, converting those films into nanoparticles through dewetting, and performing diamond homoepitaxial growth. This method ensures the platinum nanoparticles are uniformly embedded within the nanowires while preserving the single-crystal structure of the diamond.
- Synergistic Enhancement Mechanisms: The exceptional performance of these nanowires arises from several complementary factors. The one-dimensional structure of the nanowires promotes efficient carrier transport. Deep-level defects in the diamond lattice aid in carrier generation. The embedded platinum nanoparticles trigger a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect, boosting light absorption. Meanwhile, localized Schottky junctions at the Pt/diamond interface enhance charge separation, further improving device efficiency.
Future Outlook
Ongoing research will likely focus on fine-tuning the size and distribution of platinum nanoparticles to further boost performance. These Pt-embedded DNWs show strong potential for use in challenging environments—such as aerospace, industrial monitoring, and defense—where devices must deliver stable, solar-blind UV detection under high-temperature conditions.
There’s also room to explore other metal nanoparticles or composite structures to push the capabilities of diamond-based photodetectors even further. Incorporating these materials into flexible or wearable technologies could open the door to a wider range of applications.
Journal Reference:
Lu, J. et al. (2025) Single-Crystal Diamond Nanowires Embedded with Platinum Nanoparticles for High-Temperature Solar-Blind Photodetector. Nano-Micro Letters. doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01746-9
Source: