High pyroelectric power generation of 0.7Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.3PbTiO3 single crystal

• High pyroelectric current/voltage (10 nA/1.1 V) generation.
• Sensitive power generation for random thermal fluctuation.
• Sharply enhanced pyroelectric coefficient near structural transition temperature.

We report the pyroelectric power generation of a relaxor ferroelectric 0.7Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.3PbTiO3 (PMN–PT) single crystal. For a temperature variation rate of 0.5 K/s, the PMN–PT generated a closed-circuit current of 10 nA and an open-circuit voltage of 1.1 V at room temperature. The pyroelectric current and voltage of the PMN–PT single crystal were proportional to the temperature variation rate and were sharply enhanced near the structural phase-transition temperature. Additionally, the PMN–PT pyroelectric generator produced stable power for excessive thermal cycling and was highly sensitive to random thermal fluctuations. Our results indicate the potential importance of PMN–PT for high-power pyroelectric generator applications.

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