Abstract
Noncentrosymmetry ferroelectric materials coupled with switchable polarization are promising candidates for photovoltaic applications because of their unique dissociation mechanism of photogenerated excitons associated with bulk polarization. Here, we study the photovoltaic properties of relaxor-based 24Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3–47Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–29PbTiO3 (24PIN–47PMN–29PT) single crystals with a large remnant polarization and a proper optical bandgap along various crystallographic orientations. The 24PIN–47PMN–29PT single crystals are found to exhibit a modulated photovoltaic response by switching the poling direction, while their current–voltage curves present a linear relation. The superior photovoltaic response in the [111]C‐oriented crystal suggests that the photovoltage is strongly dependent on the crystallographic direction because of the polarization intensity difference. In addition, the domain configuration, phase structure, ferroelectric performance, and optical characteristics of 24PIN–47PMN–29PT single crystals are investigated, providing clues to the origin of the anomalous photovoltaic effect of these single crystals. Our results indicate that the photovoltaic performance of 24PIN–47PMN–29PT single crystals can expand their potential applications in photovoltaic devices, photorefraction, and photorefractive optical applications.
NSTL
Elsevier