Adsorption and desorption of oxygen probed from ZnO nanowire films by photocurrent measurements

Sensing mechanisms of ZnO nanowire films are investigated by performing transient photocurrent measurements. The current jumps upon ultraviolet or green laser illumination. The amplitude in the jump is strongly dependent on the ambient atmosphere. The decay rate is much more sensitive to the ambient atmosphere than the rise rate. The fast rise is due to rapid photogenerated carriers and the slow decay is controlled by slow surface process. Our experimental results indicate that the oxygen physisorption rate is slower than the chemisorption rate.