Events in Physics
Ferroelectric photovoltaic materials are recently generating much interest. Although PV effects in ferroelectrics have been known for 50 years, they have received little attention due to their initially reported low power conversion efficiency. The recent interest in PV ferroelectrics is triggered by reports that the low conversion efficiencies can be overcome by large (above-band gap) photovoltages in complex oxides, the possibility of tip-enhanced PV effects at the nanoscale or the fundamental role of domain walls which can be tuned by external fields. All this indicates that ferroelectric photovoltaic materials potentially have a bright future for solar-energy generation.
Most of the international research effort on Ferroelectric photovoltaic materials has been conducted outside Europe, despite a longstanding expertise in both ferroelectric materials and photovoltaic applications. The aim of this European workshop is to bring together these two communities to discuss both fundamental ferroelectrics-related issues and the potential of ferroelectric photovoltaics for applications.
How are we to separate fact from fiction, and hype from hope in PV ferroelectrics?