Effects of Annealing and Domain Structure on the Photovoltaic Response in Pb[(Mg1/3Nb2/3)0.70Ti0.30]O3 Single Crystal

Abstract

Crystalline acentricity leading to the photovoltaic (PV) effect in ferroelectrics (FEs) emerges these materials as important candidates for the PV cells potentially overcoming the Shockley–Queisser limit of semiconductors. However, this research direction still requires more investigations to develop reliable pathways for PV efficiency optimization. Herein, it is reported that due to the sample annealing above the Curie point the PV effect asymmetry with respect to the poling sign can be compensated and intrinsic PV response of the FE crystal can be increased by more than 20% in comparison with the pristine sample. It is also reported how the orientation of domain walls can be used to engineer the PV effect in the subcoercive electric field region. The reported results contribute to better understanding of PV effect tuning in the FEs paving the way for more efficient and sustainable solar energy utilization.