Pyroelectric properties of electrochemically anodized PbO thin films

Abstract

Pyroelectric detectors mostly use lead zirconate titanate as a sensing material which in turn uses PbO as starting element. It was found that PbO structures can undergo spontaneous polarization upon the temperature stimulus and generate substantial amount of pyroelectric current. In this work, we demonstrate the pyroelectric properties of tetragonal α-PbO thin films over a temperature range of 301 to 517 K. The anodized lead foils were further coated with Au:Pd metal alloy to record current–voltage characteristics while increasing the temperature in a static mode. The pyroelectric co-efficient p(T) at 301 K was found to be 1.45 μC·m−2·K−1, voltage responsivity was calculated as 2.04×10−4m2·C−1 and current responsivity was found to be 0.73 pm·V−1. The studied configuration Pb/PbO/Au:Pd also works as Photovoltaic cell when exposed to sunlight. Hence this study importantly unveils the unexplored potential of PbO material which can be used to fabricate low cost pyroelectric or photovoltaic devices.