Pyroelectricity is the property of certain materials to generate an electric charge in response to changes in temperature. This phenomenon occurs due to the alignment of electric dipoles within the material when it is heated or cooled. When the temperature of a pyroelectric material changes, the structural arrangement of its dipoles also changes, which leads to an imbalance of positive and negative charges, creating a measurable voltage.
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Pyroelectricity is a change in spontaneous electric polarization with temperature. When electrodes collect the corresponding change of surface electric charge, a changing temperature can produce an electric current even without an applied voltage.
For electrode area , coefficient and sufficiently uniform sample temperature, the ideal short-circuit signal is . Heating and cooling reverse its sign. A constant elevated temperature does not sustain that ideal current once the temperature stops changing. Thermal gradients, leakage and mechanical strain can add signals, motivating the distinction between primary pyroelectric effect and secondary pyroelectric effect.