On the Characteristics of Perovskite Structured BiFeO3-PbTiO3 Thin Films: Their Potential to Multifunctional Photovoltaic Applications

In this manuscript the multifunctional multiferroic 0.6BiFeO3-0.4PbTiO3 (BFPT) thin films are presented as an interesting alternative for multifunctional photovoltaic applications. The compound is chemically and structurally stable at high temperatures and consequently reliable to work under difficult operating conditions, such as sunlight radiation. Nanostructured single-phased BFPT thin films were processed and their electric, dielectric, structural, and optics properties were characterized in this work. The films were used as active layers in a heterostructured photovoltaic arrangement, which proves their photovoltaic behavior. Interesting physical properties, as intrinsic photovoltage production (~ 1 mV/cm2) with excitation power (300 W) were associated to the high dielectric constant (> 220 at 1 kHz and room temperature), the existence of long-range electrical conductivity processes, and the presence of two band gap energies (at 3.95 eV and 2.51 eV) in the BFPT compound that enhance the light absorption with consequent photovoltaic generation in the visible light region.