Pyroelectric Materials and Applications

Pyroelectricity is one of the most studied subjects due to its wide range of applications in the electronic industry. Currently, the industrial and manufacturing market is the largest application market for pyroelectric devices. Strong demand comes from medical instruments (X-ray generators) as well as energy harvesting power generators and security systems. This chapter presents the physical properties, structure, and applications of pyroelectric materials. The pyroelectric materials described in this chapter include a relatively complete list of practical and promising pyroelectric single crystals, ceramics, polymers, thin films materials, and nanoparticles. Also included are triglycine sulfate (TGS), lithium tantalate (LT) and lithium niobate (LN), barium strontium titanate (BST), strontium barium niobite (SBN), perovskite-ceramics such as modified lead zirconate (PZ) and lead titanate (PT), polymers, ceramic-polymer composites, lead-free ceramics, and other pyroelectric materials such as aluminum nitride (AlN), gallium nitride (GaN), and zinc oxide (ZnO).