Tuning photovoltaic response in Bi2FeCrO6 films by ferroelectric poling

Efficient molecular ferroelectric photovoltaic device with high photocurrent via lewis acid-base adduct approach

Traditional inorganic oxide ferroelectric materials usually have band gaps above 3 eV, leading to more than 80% of the solar spectrum unavailable, greatly limiting the current density of their devices just atμA cm^-2level. Therefore, exploring ferroelectric materials with lower band gaps is considered as an effective method to improve the performance of ferroelectric photovoltaic devices. Inorganic ferroelectric materials are often doped with transition metal elements to reduce the band gap, which is a complex doping and high temperature fabrication process. Recently, molecular ferroelectric materials can change the symmetry and specific interactions of crystals at the molecular level by chemically modifying or tailoring cations with high symmetry, enabling rational design and banding of ferroelectricity in the framework of perovskite simultaneously. Therefore, the molecular ferroelectric materials have a great performance for both excellent ferroelectricity and narrow band gap without doping. Here, we report a ferroelectric photovoltaic device employing an organic-inorganic hybrid molecular ferroelectric material with a band gap of 2.3 eV to obtain high current density. While the poor film quality of molecular ferroelectrics still limits it. The Lewis acid-base adduct is found to greatly improve the film quality with lower defect density and higher carrier mobility. Under standard AM 1.5 G illumination, the photocurrents of ∼1.51 mA cm^-2is achieved along with a device efficiency of 0.45%. This work demonstrates new possibilities for the application of molecular ferroelectric films with narrow band gaps in photovoltaic devices, and lays a foundation for Lewis acid-base chemistry to improve the quality of molecular ferroelectric thin films to obtain high current densities and device performance.

Unexpected Phonon Behaviour in BiFexCr1-xO3, a Material System Different from Its BiFeO3 and BiCrO3 Parents

The dielectric function and the bandgap of BiFe_0.5Cr_0.5O₃ thin films were determined from spectroscopic ellipsometry and compared with that of the parent compounds BiFeO₃ and BiCrO₃. The bandgap value of BiFe_0.5Cr_0.5O₃ is lower than that of BiFeO₃ and BiCrO₃, due to an optical transition at ~2.27 eV attributed to a charge transfer excitation between the Cr and Fe ions. This optical transition enables new phonon modes which have been investigated using Raman spectroscopy by employing multi-wavelengths excitation. The appearance of a new Raman mode at ~670 cm⁻¹ with a strong intensity dependence on the excitation line and its higher order scattering activation was found for both BiFe_0.5Cr_0.5O₃ thin films and BiFe_xCr_1−xO₃ polycrystalline bulk samples. Furthermore, Raman spectroscopy was also used to investigate temperature induced structural phase transitions in BiFe_0.3Cr_0.7O₃.

Multiferroic oxide BFCNT/BFCO heterojunction black silicon photovoltaic devices

Multiferroics are being studied increasingly in applications of photovoltaic devices for the carrier separation driven by polarization and magnetization. In this work, textured black silicon photovoltaic devices are fabricated with Bi6Fe1.6Co0.2Ni0.2Ti3O18/Bi2FeCrO6 (BFCNT/BFCO) multiferroic heterojunction as an absorber and graphene as an anode. The structural and optical analyses showed that the bandgap of Aurivillius-typed BFCNT and double perovskite BFCO are 1.62 ± 0.04 eV and 1.74 ± 0.04 eV respectively, meeting the requirements for the active layer in solar cells. Under the simulated AM 1.5 G illumination, the black silicon photovoltaic devices delivered a photoconversion efficiency (η) of 3.9% with open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current density (Jsc), and fill factor (FF) of 0.75 V, 10.8 mA cm-2, and 48.3%, respectively. Analyses of modulation of an applied electric and magnetic field on the photovoltaic properties revealed that both polarization and magnetization of multiferroics play an important role in tuning the built-in electric field and the transport mechanisms of charge carriers, thus providing a new idea for the design of future high-performance multiferroic oxide photovoltaic devices.

Regulation of Photovoltaic Response in ZSO-Based Multiferroic BFCO/BFCNT Heterojunction Photoelectrodes via Magnetization and Polarization

Multiferroic devices have attracted renewed attention in applications of photovoltaic devices for their efficient carrier separation driven by internal polarization, magnetization, and above-bandgap generated photovoltages. In this work, Zn₂SnO₄-based multiferroic Bi₆Fe_1.6Co_0.2Ni_0.2Ti₃O₁₈/Bi₂FeCrO₆ (BFCNT/BFCO) heterojunction photoelectrodes were fabricated. Structural and optical analyses showed that the bandgap of the spinel Zn₂SnO₄ is ∼3.1 eV while those of Aurivillius-type BFCNT and double-perovskite BFCO are 1.62 and 1.74 eV, respectively. Under the simulated AM 1.5G illumination, the as-prepared photoelectrodes delivered a photoconversion efficiency (η) of 3.40% with a short-circuit current density (J_sc), open-circuit voltage (V_oc), and fill factor (FF) of 10.3 mA·cm^-2, 0.66 V, and 50.4%, respectively. Analyses of adjustment of an applied electric and magnetic field on photovoltaic properties indicated that both magnetization and polarization of multiferroics can effectively tune the built-in electric field and the transport of charge carriers, providing a new idea for the design of future high-performance multiferroic oxide photovoltaic devices.

Non-volatile optical switch of resistance in photoferroelectric tunnel junctions

In the quest for energy efficient and fast memory elements, optically controlled ferroelectric memories are promising candidates. Here, we show that, by taking advantage of the imprint electric field existing in the nanometric BaTiO3 films and their photovoltaic response at visible light, the polarization of suitably written domains can be reversed under illumination. We exploit this effect to trigger and measure the associate change of resistance in tunnel devices. We show that engineering the device structure by inserting an auxiliary dielectric layer, the electroresistance increases by a factor near 2 × 103%, and a robust electric and optic cycling of the device can be obtained mimicking the operation of a memory device under dual control of light and electric fields.