Understanding and controlling of photoferroelectricity for photoenergy uses. The project seeks to develop high performance photoferroelectric materials for a wide range of photoenergy conversion technologies like photovoltaics and photocatalytics. For the past 50 years, ferroelectric photovoltaics have only been an academic curiosity due to their low energy conversion efficiency relative to the popular semiconductor photovoltaics. This project aims to unlock the potential of ferroelectric photov ....Understanding and controlling of photoferroelectricity for photoenergy uses. The project seeks to develop high performance photoferroelectric materials for a wide range of photoenergy conversion technologies like photovoltaics and photocatalytics. For the past 50 years, ferroelectric photovoltaics have only been an academic curiosity due to their low energy conversion efficiency relative to the popular semiconductor photovoltaics. This project aims to unlock the potential of ferroelectric photovoltaics by introducing an ion co-substitution, which is coupled with electron-pinning, into promising ferroelectric materials and investigating the resultant photo-excited electronic and electrical properties. It is anticipated that the outcomes from this proposed project will provide a solution for optimal ferroelectric visible light absorption to achieve high power conversion efficiency in ferroelectric materials for practical photoenergy applications.Read moreRead less
Ferroelectric piezoelectric materials and key problems associated with their applications in mechanical, electrical and optical energy transformations. This project aims to investigate the dynamic microstructure of ferroelectric piezoelectric materials in response to electrical fields or mechanical stresses, and therefore identify the factors enhancing the mechanical, electrical and optical couplings for intentional improvement and development of these materials for use in energy transformations ....Ferroelectric piezoelectric materials and key problems associated with their applications in mechanical, electrical and optical energy transformations. This project aims to investigate the dynamic microstructure of ferroelectric piezoelectric materials in response to electrical fields or mechanical stresses, and therefore identify the factors enhancing the mechanical, electrical and optical couplings for intentional improvement and development of these materials for use in energy transformations.Read moreRead less
Probing anti-ferroelectric to ferroelectric structural phase transitions: towards high power energy transformation devices. Materials which can be rapidly switched from anti-ferroelectric to ferroelectric states exhibit a wide range of exploitable properties. This project will identify the factors enabling such materials to respond to applied electric fields and mechanical stresses and use them to enhance the ability of industry to develop new advanced materials.