Enhanced Electrical Transport and Photoconductivity of ZnO/ZnS Core/Shell Nanowires Based on Piezotronic and Piezo-Phototronic Effects

We report a significant enhancement in the electrical transport and photoconductivity of ZnO/ZnS core/shell nanowires (NWs) compared to those of ZnO NWs via the application of compressive strain. Under a compressive strain of -0.15%, the output current of the ZnO/ZnS core/shell NWs increases by 91.1% compared to that under the no-strain condition, whereas that of the ZnO NWs under the same condition is 42.7%. The significant increase in the output current of the ZnO/ZnS core/shell NWs is attributed to the type-II band alignment and strain-induced piezopotential changes at the junction interface, which induce a reduction in the barrier height to enable efficient charge carrier transport. Furthermore, under UV illumination and a compressive strain of -0.15%, although the photocurrent of the ZnO/ZnS core/shell NWs increases by 4.5 times compared to that of the ZnO NWs, the relative increase in the photocurrent of the ZnO/ZnS core/shell NWs is 11.7% compared to that under the no-strain condition, while the photocurrent of the ZnO NWs increases by 32.3% under the same condition. A decrease in the increase rate in the photocurrent of the ZnO/ZnS core/shell NWs with a change in strain under UV light compared to that under the dark condition can be explained by the piezoelectric screening effect induced by photogenerated carriers. By calculating the change in the Schottky barrier height (SBH), we demonstrate that the piezoelectric potential with a change in strain decreased the SBH, thus increasing the current level. Lastly, we propose a mechanism of the piezotronic and piezo-phototronic effects under applied strain and their effects on energy-band diagrams.