Tailoring Ferroelectric Photovoltaic Effect of BaTiO ₃ Ceramics Via Sintering Atmosphere, Polarization and Temperature Modulation

The ferroelectric photovoltaic (FPV) effect, which enables the generation of stable photocurrent and photovoltage without external bias, holds significant promise for advancing photovoltaic technologies. While the sintering atmosphere critically influences the FPV properties of ferroelectric materials such as BaTiO 3 ceramics, limited research has systematically compared their performance under distinct atmospheric sintering conditions. Addressing this gap, this study investigates the FPV behavior of BaTiO 3 ceramics sintered in air and oxygen environments, with systematic modulation of thickness, illumination, polarization and temperature. Experimental results demonstrate that air-sintered BaTiO 3 ceramics exhibit superior FPV performance compared to oxygen-sintered counterparts, attributed to differences in oxygen vacancy concentrations induced by sintering conditions. Notably, the zero-bias photocurrent of air-sintered BaTiO 3 increased from 2.4[Formula: see text]nA (unpoled state) to 20.8[Formula: see text]nA after [Formula: see text]50[Formula: see text]kV/cm polarization, an 8.6-fold enhancement. In contrast, negative polarization (−50[Formula: see text]kV/cm) suppressed the photocurrent to 0.7[Formula: see text]nA, emphasizing the critical role of poling direction. Temperature-dependent measurements further revealed a photocurrent increase from 9.0[Formula: see text]nA at 23.4 ∘ C to 12.6[Formula: see text]nA at 25.5 ∘ C, highlighting thermal sensitivity in FPV response. This work elucidates the synergistic effects of sintering atmosphere, polarization and temperature on the FPV properties of BaTiO 3 ceramics, providing strategic insights for optimizing photovoltaic performance through controlled material synthesis and operational parameter engineering.