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Pyroelectricity
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{{Short description|Voltage created when a crystal is heated}} {{hatnote|Not to be confused with [[thermoelectricity]], a different thermal effect with a different mechanism.}} [[File:2022-12-23-IRA-S210ST01-delid-macro-portrait-crop.png|thumb|Internals of a pyroelectric sensor]] '''Pyroelectricity''' (from Greek: ''pyr'' (ΟΟ Ο), "fire" and [[electricity]]) is a property of certain crystals which are naturally electrically polarized and as a result contain large electric fields.<ref>Ashcroft, N. W. & Mermin, N. D. Solid State Physics. (Cengage Learning, 1976).</ref> Pyroelectricity can be described as the ability of certain materials to generate a temporary [[voltage]] when they are heated or cooled.<ref>Charles Kittel-8th Edition. 2016. [[Introduction to Solid State Physics]].</ref><ref name=Webster/> The change in temperature modifies the positions of the atoms slightly within the [[crystal structure]], so that the [[polarization (electrostatics)|polarization]] of the material changes. This polarization change gives rise to a voltage across the crystal. If the temperature stays constant at its new value, the pyroelectric voltage gradually disappears due to [[Leakage (electronics)|leakage current]]. The leakage can be due to electrons moving through the crystal, ions moving through the air, or current leaking through a [[voltmeter]] attached across the crystal.<ref name=Webster>{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=VXQdq0B3tnUC&pg=SA32-PA113 | title = The measurement, instrumentation, and sensors handbook | pages =32β113 | isbn = 978-0-8493-8347-2 | author1 = Webster, John G | year = 1999| publisher = CRC Press }}</ref><ref>In this article, the term "voltage" is used in the everyday sense, i.e. what a [[voltmeter]] measures. This is actually the [[electrochemical potential]], not the [[electrostatic potential]] ([[Galvani potential]]).</ref>
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