Ultraviolet Photodetectors Based on Dimetallofullerene Lu₂@C_s(6)-C₈₂ Nanorods

Endohedral metallofullerenes (EMFs) possess intriguing photoelectrochemical properties owing to the efficient electron transfer from the metal to the cage. However, the applications of dimetallofullerenes in photodetectors have scarcely been reported due to the complicated synthesis procedure. Herein, one-dimensional Lu2@Cs(6)-C82 nanorods have been successfully obtained, which exhibit excellent UV-light detection performance. A series of experimental characterizations reveal that Lu2@Cs(6)-C82 nanorods have high crystallinity and broad absorption from ultraviolet to visible regions. Meanwhile, photoluminescence of Lu2@Cs(6)-C82 nanorods is enhanced relative to that of the Lu2@Cs(6)-C82 powder owing to improved crystallinity. More importantly, our study has realized the example of a high-performance ultraviolet photodetector based on a single Lu2@Cs(6)-C82 nanorod, which exhibits excellent and stable ultraviolet photoresponsivity of 60.2 A/W upon irradiation of 365 nm incident light as well as fast photoresponse (∼0.2 s). This study offers useful insights into the preparation of single-crystalline metallofullerene nanostructures, promising their future applications as high-performance electronic and optoelectronic devices.