Enhanced Photocurrent in Ferroelectric KNNS-BNN Materials via Temperature Modulation

The photocurrent produced by the synergy of pyroelectric and photovoltaic effects in ferroelectric materials exhibits great potential for photodetection. Photocurrent generated by various ferroelectric materials exhibits a different behavior with the ambient circumstance especially the temperature, making it a long-term topic. Here, we report a remarkable promotion in the photocurrent of a photoelectric device based on ferroelectric (K0.5Na0.5)(Nb0.94Sb0.06)O3-Bi(Ni0.33Nb0.67)O3 (KNNS-BNN) materials via temperature modulation. When compared with the photocurrents obtained at room temperature, by lowering the atmospheric temperature to 14.8 °C, the peak photocurrent is increased by 219%, and by raising the temperature to 46 °C, the platform photocurrent is improved by 69.9%. The enhanced photocurrents are mainly ascribed to temperature-controlled conductivity and energy band structure of the KNNS-BNN materials. Working as a self-powered photodetector, the responsivity of the device reaches 4.01 × 10–6 A W–1. This work provides new possibilities for high-performance ferroelectric photodetectors.