Ferroelectric Materials for Solar Energy Scavenging and Photodetectors

Abstract The photovoltaic devices based on ferroelectrics have drawn plenty of attention for providing a promising solar energy harvesting technology and efficient photodetectors. In this review, mainly the photoelectric properties of ferroelectric materials are introduced. First, three different types of ferroelectrics and primary representative materials are reviewed. Second, four existing principles and mechanisms of the photovoltaic effect in ferroelectrics are studied in great detail. Then, the typical design construction utilizing ferroelectrics for solar energy scavenging, photodetectors, and other photovoltaic device architectures is summarized. Lastly, the properties and characteristics of photovoltaic devices based on ferroelectrics are reviewed in the form of tables and the prospect of ferroelectric photovoltaic devices is discussed.