Neutral 1D Perovskite-Type ABX3 Ferroelectrics with High Mechanical Energy Harvesting Performance

Abstract

Organic–inorganic ABX3 hybrids with perovskite structures have drawn enormous attention owing to their intriguing chemical variability, structural tunability, and diversity of application-worthy properties. Herein, we report the synthesis of a new neutral ABX3 hybrid ferroelectric compound [Me3NCH2CH2OH]CdCl3 (1), which exhibits a 1D chain structure of edge-sharing CdCl5O octahedra that are connected to cationic [Me3NCH2CH2OH]+ units via its peripheral OH functionality. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of the compound at 363 K reveals the conversion of 1 to its coordination isomer 1′, in which the anionic chain consists of face-sharing CdCl6 octahedra and the cations are uncoordinated. The piezoresponsive force microscopy analysis performed on a single crystal of 1 confirms the existence of polarizable domains in it. The ferroelectric P–E loop measurements on 1 show a high remnant polarization value of 17.1 μC cm–2. Composite devices based on 1 and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) prepared with varying wt % compositions are examined for mechanical energy harvesting applications. The highest open-circuit voltage of 55.2 V and a maximum power density of 70.9 μW cm–2 at an optimal load of 4 MΩ were obtained for the 15 wt % 1–PDMS device. The harvested energy is shown to be effective for capacitor charging and light-emitting diode (LED) flash lighting applications.