Enhancement of optoelectronic performance by plasmonic effect in TiO₂-rGO/Ag-TiO₂ based on UV detectors

Abstract This paper investigates the plasmonic effect in ultraviolet (UV) detectors based on titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Studies have shown that a TiO 2 -rGO nanocomposite material is obtained by hydrothermal synthesis. Adding silver nanoparticles (NPs) and Ag-TiO 2 ‘core-shell’ nanostructures (NSs) leads to the plasmonic effect and an increase in the optoelectronic parameters. The TiO 2 -rGO images were obtained with the help of SEM and Raman spectroscopy, and the ratio I D /I G was found. Hydrothermal synthesis results in a long-term reduction of rGO, i.e., the amount of oxygen-containing groups decreases. Raman spectroscopy shows the presence of peaks characteristic of the starting materials. The absorption properties when adding plasmonic nanoparticles to the films show changes in the absorption spectrum in the visible light region due to the transparency of rGO. The current-voltage characteristics show that the presence of plasmonic particles in the nanocomposite material leads to an increase in the photoinduced current of about 94 μA, which is almost 3.0 times greater. When irradiated, the multicomponent nanocomposite material with plasmonic nanoparticles responds to light three times faster than TiO 2 - rGO. The results can be used to develop new light-sensitive devices for optoelectronic and photocatalytic applications.