ABSTRACT In the digital information age, self‐powered photodetectors are crucial for meeting the demands of high‐density integration and low power consumption. The flexoelectric effect provides a mechanical approach for the development of high‐efficiency and low‐energy consumption photoelectronic devices. Here, an asymmetric suspended structure model is proposed by taking advantage of the inherent mechanical flexibility of 2D materials. The asymmetric transverse flexoelectric polarization field formed internally enables to have excellent self‐powered photodetection capabilities in the visible to near‐infrared range. The device demonstrates excellent photoelectric performance ( R ∼ 6 A W −1 ) and ultra‐weak light detection capability ( P = 1.5 ). Moreover, the coupling mechanism between photoelectric and flexoelectric effects has been elucidated through kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and first‐principles calculations. In particular, the device achieved stable information transmission and image processing under weak light conditions. The visual gain has been enhanced by more than two orders of magnitude. This research result highlights the potential applications of the flexoelectric effect and lays a solid foundation for the design and integrated development of high‐performance photoelectronic devices.
Gao et al. (Fri,) studied this question.