Polycrystalline ZnO : Cu-based film photodetectors with extended detection waveband (UV and visible light) were fabricated using facile colloidal chemistry and a post-annealing process. The obtained detectors are highly sensitive to visible light and can realize the response switch between UV and visible light. A native and extrinsic trap cooperatively controlled space charge limited (SCL) transport mechanism is proposed to understand this complex photoconduction behaviour.

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Due to their ability to confine light in a sub-wavelength scale and achieve coherent absorption, plasmonic nanostructures have been intensively studied for solar energy harvesting. Although nanoparticles generating localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) have been thoroughly studied for application in a direct absorption solar collector (DASC), nanoparticles exciting magnetic polaritons (MP) for use in a DASC have not drawn much attention. In this work, we report a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) nanodisk that can excite MP peaks apart from the LSPR in the solar spectrum. It was found that the MIM nanodisk generates a broader and relatively more uniform absorption band compared to a pure metallic nanodisk. The MP peaks were also found to cause less significant scattering compared to those associated with the LSPR. We finally showed that the peaks induced by the MIM nanodisk are highly tunable by varying the particle dimensions, making the proposed MIM nanodisk a potential candidate for solar thermal applications.

This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation of Yanming Guo has met the dissertation requirements of Iowa State University Committee Member Committee Member Committee Member Committee Member Major Professor Signature was redacted for privacy. Signature was redacted for privacy. Signature was redacted for privacy. Signature was redacted for privacy. Signature was redacted for privacy.

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