Boosted photocurrent via cooling ferroelectric BaTiO3 materials for self-powered 405 nm light detection

Research of photovoltaic effect has been increased based on ferroelectric materials, generating a series of important discoveries. However, the conventional ferroelectric ceramics usually have low photocurrent values. How to increase the photocurrent of ceramics becomes an important issue to push forward the practical application of these devices. Here, we report the intrinsic properties about the temperature dependence of photocurrent and its relationship with the ferroelectric polarization. The photocurrent of BaTiO3 ceramics strongly depends on the temperature, which can achieve an enhancement of 121.9 similar to 179.6% at low temperature (80-240 K) as compared with that at room temperature. The enhancement of photocurrent is associated with ferro-pyro-phototronic effect, evidencing by the enhanced ferroelectric polarization and the activation of shallow trap levels at low temperature, which can be used for detecting 405 nm light under low temperature. This research provides a potential approach to boost the photocurrent of ferroelectric ceramics and enable the development of a wide range of optoelectronic devices.