Large photovoltaic effect with ultrahigh open-circuit voltage in relaxor-based ferroelectric Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 ceramics

Abstract Recently, the anomalous photovoltaic effect of ferroelectric materials has attracted considerable attention in the construction of efficient solar cells owing to the above-bandgap photovoltage of these materials. In this study, we investigate the anomalous photovoltaic effect of relaxor-based ferroelectric Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PIMN-PT) ceramics with large remnant polarization and a narrow optical bandgap. Excellent photovoltaic performance with an ultrahigh open-circuit voltage of 23 V (575 V/cm) is achieved, which is higher than the open-circuit voltages of all reported polycrystalline materials with similar thickness. The phase structure, microstructure morphology, domain structure, ferroelectric and optical characteristics are analyzed, which could provide clues to the origin of the ultrahigh open-circuit voltage of PIMN-PT ceramics. The results suggest that the relaxor-based ferroelectric PIMN-PT system is a potential candidate for photovoltaic solar energy conversion devices.