Highly Flexible and Low-Cost ZnO-Based UV Photodetector on Paper with Enhanced Performance and Stability

Flexible photodetectors are essential for advancing next-generation electronic devices, especially in areas in which traditional rigid photodetectors are inadequate. Herein, we report a very easy to fabricate highly flexible, low-cost UV photodetector based on a ZnO thin film fabricated on Whatman filter paper and pencil-drawn graphite electrodes. The device exhibited optimal properties, demonstrating an enhanced photocurrent under 253 nm UV illuminations at varying intensities. This device achieved a high responsivity of 6.75 A/W, a detectivity of 4.6 × 1012 Jones, a sensitivity of 7.2 × 103, and a rapid response time of 13 ms at 30 V. The flexibility of the device up to 40° angle, maintaining its UV detection capabilities (a responsivity of 5.6 A/W, a detectivity of 2.4 × 1012 Jones, a sensitivity of 5.5 × 103, and a rapid response time of ∼ 13 ms) even after enduring bending cycles, is a key advantage of it. These results indicate promising stability and flexibility for advanced UV photodetection applications by offering a viable alternative to devices fabricated using more complex and expensive techniques.