Enhanced photoconductive properties of a simple composite coaxial nanostructure of zinc oxide and polypyrrole

The coaxial nanostructures of zinc oxide (ZnO) and polypyrrole (PPy) are synthesized through the low-temperature solution processes. Compared with the reference structures, the enhanced photoconductive properties with high on–off ratio comparable to 104 are found for the coaxial nanostructures. The use of the depletion layer at the interface of the composites leads to the significant changes of photoconductivity. The results indicate that the simple composites and nanostructures lead to the enhanced performance applicable for photoswitches and photodetectors.