Recent Progress of Methods to Enhance Photovoltaic Effect for Self-Powered Heterojunction Photodetectors and Their Applications in Inorganic Low-Dimensional Structures

An important class of photoelectronic devices, self-powered photodetectors, has attracted worldwide attention because of its crucial role in both basic scientific research and commercial/public applications. Thanks to a special synergistic effect, excellent photoelectric properties, and outstanding mechanical stability, the study of heterojunction devices can provide valuable insights and new possibilities for the future of self-powered photodetectors. This paper reviews the recent years of fundamental research of photovoltaic efficiency based on the ferroelectric-enhanced photovoltaic effect, the pyro-phototronic effect, and the piezo-phototronic effect. It also highlights important topics related to heterojunctions and materials that are suitable for self-powered photodetectors. The article concludes with an outlook of the future development in this important and rapidly advancing field.