Effect of internal electric fields on charge carrier dynamics in a ferroelectric material for solar energy conversion

Abstract

Spontaneous polarization is shown to enhance the lifetimes of photogenerated species in BaTiO3. This is attributed to polarization-induced surface band bending acting as a thermal barrier to electron/hole recombination. The study indicates that the efficiencies of solar cells and solar fuels devices can be enhanced by the use of ferroelectric materials