Research Advances of Ferroelectric Semiconductors of 2D Hybrid Perovskites toward Photoelectronic Applications

Ferroelectric materials, characterized by the switchable spontaneous polarization (Ps) through reversing the directions of external electric field, exhibit versatile physical attributes that have been extensively used for practical device applications. Two-dimensional (2D) organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites are recently emerging as a robust family of candidate ferroelectrics, termed ferroelectric semiconductors. In particular, the coexistence and/or coupling of ferroelectric polarization with their semiconducting properties enables new physical concepts, thus providing a potential platform for the development of new multifunctional optoelectronic devices. This review primarily describes the structural origin of symmetry breaking for generating ferroelectric orders in 2D hybrid perovskites, and then presents the combination of ferroelectric Ps with other semiconducting optoelectronic activities. Regarding the emergence of new photoelectric behaviors, the prospects for this 2D family of ferroelectric semiconductors are further discussed, along with their development tendency for the future photoelectronic device applications.