Thermally Triggered Transient Photodetector Based on Iodine Single Crystal

Abstract Transient electronic devices are electronic systems that can self‐destruct and disappear under external stimuli after completing a specific function. The basic triggering principle of most transient electronic devices so far has been limited to biodegradation or solution‐degradation of the active materials, or destruction of specific substrates. Here, a photodetector based on iodine single crystal grown by the anti‐solvent vapor‐assisted crystallization method is designed and fabricated, showing a responsivity of 4.45 × 10 ⁻³ mA W ⁻¹ at a bias of 5 V, with a broadband response ranging from 405 to 808 nm. By integrating the photodetector with a heating module, an innovative transient electronic device is constructed by exploiting the sublimation property of iodine crystal. This device operates stably at room temperature and can be fully degraded within 450 s of heating, effectively achieving self‐destruction. This work presents a novel approach for the growth of iodine single crystal, which demonstrates the practical application in the development of transient photodetectors with controllable and rapid response, providing valuable insights into the design of future transient devices.