Recent advances in ferroelectric nanosensors: Toward sensitive detection of gas, mechanothermal signals, and radiation

A spontaneous polarization that occurs below the Curie temperature is characteristic for ferroelectric materials. This polarization is sensitive to many external conditions such as an electric field, mechanical deformation, temperature, and chemical and biological factors. Therefore, bulk ferroelectric materials have been used for decades in sensors and actuators. Recently, special attention has been paid to ferroelectric nanostructures that represent better sensing properties than their bulk counterparts. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of applications of nanoferroelectrics in different types of sensors, e.g., gas sensors and piezoelectric, pyroelectric, and piezoresistive sensors of mechanothermal signals, as well as photodetectors, ionizing radiation detectors, and biosensors. The recent achievements and challenges in these fields are summarized. This review also outlines the prospects for future development of sensors based on nanosized ferroelectrics.