Improper Ferroelectricity in Stuffed Aluminate Sodalites for Pyroelectric Energy Harvesting

Conventional perovskite oxides such as Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ feature octahedrally arranged oxygen atoms. Ferroelectricity in these materials is well studied, while in compounds with $t{{0}{0ex}}e{{0}{0ex}}t{{0}{0ex}}r{{0}{0ex}}a{{0}{0ex}}h{{0}{0ex}}e{{0}{0ex}}d{{0}{0ex}}r{{0}{0ex}}a{{0}{0ex}}l$ oxygens it is little explored, even though these compounds are naturally abundant and could be the basis for environmentally friendly ferroelectric devices. Through experiment and calculations, the authors explain how the improper ferroelectricity in such an oxide offers excellent performance for pyroelectric energy harvesting.