Mechanically flexible hybrid mat consisting of TiO_2 and SiO_2 nanofibers electrospun via dual spinnerets for photo-detector

摘要

A hybrid mat consisting of anatase-phase TiO_2 nanofibers (～75 wt.%) and structurally amorphous SiO_2 nanofibers (～25 wt.%) was prepared for the first time by electrospinning with dual spinnerets followed by pyrolysis in air at 500 ℃. Unlike many other TiO_2 nanostructures, the TiO_2/SiO_2 hybrid mat was mechanically flexible; after being sensitized with N719 dye, the dye-sensitized mat was then assembled as a photo-detector for visible light. The fabricated photo-detector was also flexible; it exhibited excellent sensitivity and reproducibility/reversibility under varied light intensities, and it also showed high performance under the bending condition. Additionally, it is envisioned that the reported method could be a general approach for the preparation of flexible hybrid mats with different electrospun nanofibers of semiconducting metal oxides (e.g., TiO_2 and ZnO) for various applications.