Sb(2)O(3) nanobelt networks for excellent visible-light-range photodetectors.

Excellent photoconductive properties have been found in Sb(2)O(3) nanobelts synthesized by a surfactant-assisted solvothermal method. Visible-light photodetectors have been designed from Sb(2)O(3) nanobelt networks using micrometer-wide gold wires as masks. Photodetectors show high sensitivity to visible light, high stability, and reproducibility. Fast response and decay times (<0.3 s) are comparable or even better than these parameters in many other metal oxide nanoscale photodetectors. The dominant mechanism of excellent photoconductivity is attributed to the barrier height modulations in the nanobelt-to-nanobelt contact regions. These results demonstrate that Sb(2)O(3) nanobelt networks can indeed serve as high-performance photodetectors in the visible light range.