Significantly enhanced energy storage performance by constructing TiO2 nanowire arrays in PbZrO3-based antiferroelectric films

In this work, TiO2 nanowire arrays embedded in PbZrO3-based antiferroelectric (AFE) films were fabricated on FTO/glass substrates using a facile two-step method. The energy storage performance was modulated by changing the density and morphology of TiO2 nanowire arrays. A large recoverable energy density (W-re) of 50.6 J/cm(3) and efficiency (eta) of 61% were achieved, which was attributed to the enhancement of maximum polarization and breakdown strength by constructing TiO2 nanowire arrays in AFE films. More importantly, the composite films exhibited excellent thermal stability with the variation of energy storage density (< 5%) and efficiency (< 7%) in a wide temperature range (- 120 to 130 degrees C) at the operating electric field of 1300 kV/cm. The results demonstrate that the composite films have huge potential in the future energy storage applications, whether in cold polar regions or high temperature regions.