Giant polarization ripple in transverse pyroelectricity

Yi Zhou, Tianpeng Ding, Jun Guo, Guoqiang Xu, Mingqiang Cheng, Chen Zhang, Xiao-Qiao Wang, Wanheng Lu, Wei Li Ong, Jiangyu Li, Jiaqing He (), Cheng-Wei Qiu () and Ghim Wei Ho ()
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Yi Zhou: National University of Singapore
Tianpeng Ding: National University of Singapore
Jun Guo: National University of Singapore
Guoqiang Xu: National University of Singapore
Mingqiang Cheng: Southern University of Science and Technology
Chen Zhang: National University of Singapore
Xiao-Qiao Wang: National University of Singapore
Wanheng Lu: National University of Singapore
Wei Li Ong: National University of Singapore
Jiangyu Li: Southern University of Science and Technology
Jiaqing He: Southern University of Science and Technology
Cheng-Wei Qiu: National University of Singapore
Ghim Wei Ho: National University of Singapore

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Pyroelectricity originates from spontaneous polarization variation, promising in omnipresent non-static thermodynamic energy harvesting. Particularly, changing spontaneous polarization via out-of-plane uniform heat perturbations has been shown in solar pyroelectrics. However, these approaches present unequivocal inefficiency due to spatially coupled low temperature change and duration along the longitudinal direction. Here we demonstrate unconventional giant polarization ripples in transverse pyroelectrics, without increasing the total energy input, into electricity with an efficiency of 5-fold of conventional longitudinal counterparts. The non-uniform graded temperature variation arises from decoupled heat localization and propagation, leading to anomalous in-plane heat perturbation (29-fold) and enhanced thermal disequilibrium effects. This in turn triggers an augmented polarization ripple, fundamentally enabling unprecedented electricity generation performance. Notably, the device generates a power density of 38 mW m−2 at 1 sun illumination, which is competitive with solar thermoelectrics and ferrophotovoltaics. Our findings provide a viable paradigm, not only for universal practical pyroelectric heat harvesting but for flexible manipulation of transverse heat transfer towards sustainable energy harvesting and management.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35900-x

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