Improved pyroelectric figures of merit of Mn-doped Zr-rich lead zirconate titanate bulk ceramics near room temperature for energy harvesting applications.

Abstract Pyroelectric energy harvesting has been attracting increasing attention due to its abundance and potential applications. In this work, we comparably investigated the pyroelectric properties of Pb 0.99 (Zr 0.95 Ti 0.05) 0.98 Nb 0.02 O 3 bulk ceramics without (PNZT95/5) and with Mn doping (PNMZT95/5). Compared to PNZT95/5, PNMZT95/5 demonstrated a lower dielectric constant and low rhombohedral - high rhombohedral ferroelectric phase transition temperature (T LH from 37 °C to 27 °C). Moreover, the poling time displayed significant effects on the dielectric and pyroelectric properties of the ceramics. A giant pyroelectric response was obtained for the PNMZT95/5 ceramics, of which the maximum pyroelectric figure of merit F E was 16017 J/(m3K2) after 180 min of poling, which increased 62% compared with the F E for PNZT95/5 (9890 J/(m3K2), far higher than those of other pyroelectric materials as well. PNMZT95/5 ceramics is suggested to be a promising candidate for the thermal energy harvesting applications. Highlights • Giant pyroelectric figure of merit was obtained at room temperature in PNZT95/5 ferroelectric ceramics by doping Mn. • Mn-doping decreased the F RL - F RH phase transition temperature of PNZT95/5 down to room temperature. • Prolonging the poling time of hard PNMZT95/5 ferroelectric ceramics could improve obviously the pyroelectric response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]