IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-59211-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sub-pA dark current infrared photodetection enabled by polarized water-intercalated heterojunctions

Author

Listed:
  • Chang Liu

    (Hunan University
    Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Lin Tang

    (Hunan University)

  • Yawei Lv

    (Hunan University)

  • Long Chen

    (Hunan University)

  • Yilu Qin

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Sen Zhang

    (Hunan University)

  • Shihao Zhao

    (Hunan University)

  • Shuimei Ding

    (Hunan University)

  • Xin Zhang

    (Hunan University)

  • Pan Xu

    (Hunan University)

  • Chao Ma

    (Hunan University)

  • Xingqiang Liu

    (Hunan University)

  • Fang Wang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Peng Wang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Xudong Wang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Yuan Liu

    (Hunan University)

  • En-Ge Wang

    (Peking University)

  • Lei Liao

    (Hunan University)

  • Xuming Zou

    (Hunan University)

Abstract

Barrier detectors such as nBn and pBp architectures (formed by a n- or p-type contact layer, a barrier layer and a n- or p-type absorber) aim to block one carrier type while allowing the other to pass, but require complex hetero-integration and precise band engineering. Here, we propose an ultra-thin polar barrier strategy using a 0.75 nm water-intercalated WSe2/H2O/PdSe2 heterostructure. The confined water layer forms a clean, well-ordered interface and further generates a precisely oriented polarization field that depletes electrons in WSe2, significantly suppressing dark current to sub-pA levels across all biases, while enabling efficient tunneling of photogenerated holes. The device shows broadband photoresponse from the ultraviolet to mid-wave infrared (MWIR), with a room-temperature average detectivity exceeding 10¹⁰ cm Hz¹/² W⁻¹ in the MWIR. It also features ultrafast response (~3 μs), polarization light sensitivity, and two-year stability. Our work establishes a platform for high-performance infrared photodetection via van der Waals gap engineering.

Suggested Citation

  • Chang Liu & Lin Tang & Yawei Lv & Long Chen & Yilu Qin & Sen Zhang & Shihao Zhao & Shuimei Ding & Xin Zhang & Pan Xu & Chao Ma & Xingqiang Liu & Fang Wang & Peng Wang & Xudong Wang & Yuan Liu & En-Ge , 2025. "Sub-pA dark current infrared photodetection enabled by polarized water-intercalated heterojunctions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-59211-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59211-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59211-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-59211-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jiayang Jiang & Xuming Zou & Yawei Lv & Yuan Liu & Weiting Xu & Quanyang Tao & Yang Chai & Lei Liao, 2020. "Rational design of Al2O3/2D perovskite heterostructure dielectric for high performance MoS2 phototransistors," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Yuan Liu & Yu Huang & Xiangfeng Duan, 2019. "Van der Waals integration before and beyond two-dimensional materials," Nature, Nature, vol. 567(7748), pages 323-333, March.
    3. A. K. Geim & I. V. Grigorieva, 2013. "Van der Waals heterostructures," Nature, Nature, vol. 499(7459), pages 419-425, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lutao Li & Junjie Yao & Juntong Zhu & Yuan Chen & Chen Wang & Zhicheng Zhou & Guoxiang Zhao & Sihan Zhang & Ruonan Wang & Jiating Li & Xiangyi Wang & Zheng Lu & Lingbo Xiao & Qiang Zhang & Guifu Zou, 2023. "Colloid driven low supersaturation crystallization for atomically thin Bismuth halide perovskite," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    2. Pei-Yu Huang & Bi-Yi Jiang & Hong-Ji Chen & Jia-Yi Xu & Kang Wang & Cheng-Yi Zhu & Xin-Yan Hu & Dong Li & Liang Zhen & Fei-Chi Zhou & Jing-Kai Qin & Cheng-Yan Xu, 2023. "Neuro-inspired optical sensor array for high-accuracy static image recognition and dynamic trace extraction," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    3. Sangyong Park & Dongyoung Lee & Juncheol Kang & Hojin Choi & Jin-Hong Park, 2023. "Laterally gated ferroelectric field effect transistor (LG-FeFET) using α-In2Se3 for stacked in-memory computing array," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    4. Leilei Ye & Xiaorong Gan & Romana Schirhagl, 2024. "Two-Dimensional MoS 2 -Based Photodetectors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-36, November.
    5. Singh, Deobrat & Khossossi, Nabil & Lizárraga, Raquel & Sonvane, Yogesh, 2024. "Theoretical prediction of a high-performance two-dimensional type-II MoSi2N4/As vdW heterostructure for photovoltaic solar cells," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(PC).
    6. Qianlu Sun & Jiamin Lin & Pedro Ludwig Hernandez-Martine & Taotao Li & Yantong Li & Li Li & Changjin Wan & Nannan Mao & Huakang Yu & Peng Wang & Hilmi Volkan Demir & Zehua Hu & Rui Su & Weigao Xu, 2025. "Designable excitonic effects in van der Waals artificial crystals with exponentially growing thickness," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-9, December.
    7. Pandey, Mayank & Deshmukh, Kalim & Raman, Akhila & Asok, Aparna & Appukuttan, Saritha & Suman, G.R., 2024. "Prospects of MXene and graphene for energy storage and conversion," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PB).
    8. Benjamin Carey & Nils Kolja Wessling & Paul Steeger & Robert Schmidt & Steffen Michaelis de Vasconcellos & Rudolf Bratschitsch & Ashish Arora, 2024. "Giant Faraday rotation in atomically thin semiconductors," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    9. Yuri Saida & Thomas Gauthier & Hiroo Suzuki & Satoshi Ohmura & Ryo Shikata & Yui Iwasaki & Godai Noyama & Misaki Kishibuchi & Yuichiro Tanaka & Wataru Yajima & Nicolas Godin & Gaël Privault & Tomoharu, 2024. "Photoinduced dynamics during electronic transfer from narrow to wide bandgap layers in one-dimensional heterostructured materials," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    10. Ying-Xin Ma & Xue-Dong Wang, 2024. "Directional self-assembly of organic vertically superposed nanowires," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    11. Kai Fan & Heng Jin & Bing Huang & Guijing Duan & Rong Yu & Zhen-Yu Liu & Hui-Nan Xia & Li-Si Liu & Yao Zhang & Tao Xie & Qiao-Yin Tang & Gang Chen & Wen-Hao Zhang & F. C. Chen & X. Luo & W. J. Lu & Y., 2024. "Artificial superconducting Kondo lattice in a van der Waals heterostructure," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    12. Zhixin Yao & Huifeng Tian & U. Sasaki & Huacong Sun & Jingyi Hu & Guodong Xue & Ye Seul Jung & Ruijie Li & Zhenjiang Li & PeiChi Liao & Yihan Wang & Lina Yang Zhang & Ge Yin & Xuanyu Zhang & Yijie Luo, 2025. "Transferrable, wet-chemistry-derived high-k amorphous metal oxide dielectrics for two-dimensional electronic devices," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-11, December.
    13. Cosme G. Ayani & Michele Pisarra & Iván M. Ibarburu & Clara Rebanal & Manuela Garnica & Fabián Calleja & Fernando Martín & Amadeo L. Vázquez de Parga, 2024. "Electron delocalization in a 2D Mott insulator," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    14. Cheng Hu & Jiajun Chen & Xianliang Zhou & Yufeng Xie & Xinyue Huang & Zhenghan Wu & Saiqun Ma & Zhichun Zhang & Kunqi Xu & Neng Wan & Yueheng Zhang & Qi Liang & Zhiwen Shi, 2024. "Collapse of carbon nanotubes due to local high-pressure from van der Waals encapsulation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    15. Eli Gerber & Steven B. Torrisi & Sara Shabani & Eric Seewald & Jordan Pack & Jennifer E. Hoffman & Cory R. Dean & Abhay N. Pasupathy & Eun-Ah Kim, 2023. "High-throughput ab initio design of atomic interfaces using InterMatch," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7, December.
    16. Qiang Gao & Jin Mo Bok & Ping Ai & Jing Liu & Hongtao Yan & Xiangyu Luo & Yongqing Cai & Cong Li & Yang Wang & Chaohui Yin & Hao Chen & Genda Gu & Fengfeng Zhang & Feng Yang & Shenjin Zhang & Qinjun P, 2024. "ARPES detection of superconducting gap sign in unconventional superconductors," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    17. Guojing Hu & Changlong Wang & Shasha Wang & Ying Zhang & Yan Feng & Zhi Wang & Qian Niu & Zhenyu Zhang & Bin Xiang, 2023. "Long-range skin Josephson supercurrent across a van der Waals ferromagnet," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-6, December.
    18. Yu Ji & Guang-Ping Hao & Yong-Tao Tan & Wenqi Xiong & Yu Liu & Wenzhe Zhou & Dai-Ming Tang & Renzhi Ma & Shengjun Yuan & Takayoshi Sasaki & Marcelo Lozada-Hidalgo & Andre K. Geim & Pengzhan Sun, 2024. "High proton conductivity through angstrom-porous titania," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    19. Bohayra Mortazavi & Timon Rabczuk, 2018. "Boron Monochalcogenides; Stable and Strong Two-Dimensional Wide Band-Gap Semiconductors," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-10, June.
    20. Yeonghun Lee & Yaoqiao Hu & Xiuyao Lang & Dongwook Kim & Kejun Li & Yuan Ping & Kai-Mei C. Fu & Kyeongjae Cho, 2022. "Spin-defect qubits in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides operating at telecom wavelengths," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-59211-5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.