Generating Light-Induced Electrical Current in Atomically Thin Nanomaterials

When hit with light, semiconductors (materials that have an electrical resistance in between that of metals and insulators) generate an electric current. Semiconductors that consist of one layer or a few layers of atoms — for example, graphene, which has a single layer of carbon atoms — are of particular interest for next-generation optoelectronics because of their sensitivity to light, which can controllably alter their electrical conductivity and mechanical flexibility. But the amount of light that atomically thin semiconductors can absorb is limited, thus limiting the materials’ response to light.