Thermo-Phototronic Effect Induced Electricity in Long Semiconducting ZnO Materials for Self-Powered Light and Temperature Sensors

Self-powered multi-functional sensors are expected to play an important role in the internet of things technology because they do not need external power and can monitor environmental variations. Previous investigations about sensors have mainly focused on the monitoring of one stimulus, while the simultaneous detection of temperature and light is still a challenge. Here, a two-parameter sensor with Ohmic contact is reported, which realizes the functions of individually and simultaneously detecting light and temperature via the thermo-phototronic effect of ZnO ceramic material. The output current signals of the sensor at a light intensity of 0.24 W cm(-2) and under a temperature gradient of 9.5 K across the device are 7.14 mu A and 45.61 mu A, respectively, and the total current is 52.77 mu A when the two conditions co-exist at the same time. This study provides a new research direction into the thermo-phototronic effect to realize multi-functional self-powered sensor systems via oxide semiconducting materials.