Transparent integrated pyroelectric-photovoltaic structure for photo-thermo hybrid power generation

Abstract Thermal losses in photoelectric devices limit their energy conversion efficiency, and cyclic input of energy coupled with pyroelectricity can overcome this limit. Here, incorporating a pyroelectric absorber into a photovoltaic heterostructure device enables efficient electricity generation by leveraging spontaneous polarization based on pulsed light-induced thermal changes. The proposed pyroelectric-photovoltaic device outperforms traditional photovoltaic devices by 2.5 times due to the long-range electric field that occurs under pulse illumination. Optimization of parameters such as pulse frequency, scan speed, and illumination wavelength enhances power harvesting, as demonstrated by a power conversion efficiency of 11.9% and an incident-photon-to-current conversion efficiency of 200% under optimized conditions. This breakthrough enables reconfigurable electrostatic devices and presents an opportunity to accelerate technology that surpasses conventional limits in energy generation.