Electrical and photoresponse properties of Co 3O 4 nanowires

Abstract

Electrical and photocurrent characteristics of single Co 3O 4 nanowire devices were studied systematically. Current-voltage characteristics' measurements and impedance spectroscopy of single Co 3O 4 nanowire devices were performed and analysed using possible mechanism. Photoresponses of individual nanowires were obtained by global irradiation of laser beams with photon energies above band gap and at sub-band gap of the nanowires. The magnitude of photocurrent and its response time revealed that defect level excitations significantly contribute to the photoresponse of Co 3O 4 nanowires. In addition, the electrically Ohmic nature of the nanowire/Pt contact and p-type conductivity of Co 3O 4 nanowire is extracted from the current-voltage characteristics and spatially resolved photocurrent measurements. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.