High-performance photodetectors, photocatalysts, and gas sensors based on polyol reflux synthesized porous ZnO nanosheets

By using porous ZnO nanosheets, obtained from a rapid one-step polyol refluxing method, as the active material, we reported the fabrication of high performance photodetectors, photocatalysts, and gas sensors. The as fabricated photodetectors exhibited the features of high photocurrent, enhanced stability, and reproducible characteristics with the photo-to-dark current ratio as high as 1.6 x 10(3). The photocatalytic properties were also investigated by the photo-degradation of methylene blue under UV light irradiation. The as-synthesized porous ZnO nanosheets were able to decompose methylene blue within 20 min, which is more than twice as fast as that of ZnO nanoparticles and nanospheres. Finally, the gas sensing performance of the porous ZnO nanosheets for detecting ethanol was investigated, also revealing greater enhanced performance compared with other ZnO nanostructures.