Self-powered ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors have great
application
prospects in the fields of UV astronomy, environmental monitoring,
and space communication. In particular, the emerging photoelectrochemical
photodetectors (PEC PDs) without external bias, high sensitivity,
and environmental sensitivity have attracted extensive attention.
Herein, self-powered PEC PDs were designed and constructed by using
highly ordered GaN nanorod arrays (NRAs) as photoelectrodes. Without
external bias, PEC PDs with NRA structures exhibit a high peak responsivity
of 6.04 mA/W and a detectivity of 5.14 × 1010 Jones,
which are 12 and 5.1 times higher, respectively, than those of the
planar device. The large solid–liquid interface of the nanorod
structure will lead to an improved built-in electrical field to promote
carrier collection and rapid directional transmission, which can enhance
the generation and separation of photogenerated carriers. Moreover,
an optimized nanoarray will increase the UV detection effect significantly,
which provides instruction for the design and fabrication of high-performance
self-powered PEC PDs in the future.