Pyro, also known as Pyroelectricity, is a form of electricity generated from a material that has been exposed to a change in temperature. When certain materials experience a change in temperature, they become electrically polarized and can produce a voltage. The term is derived from the Greek pyro meaning “fire” and electric meaning “relating to electricity”.
Pyroelectricity has been used in a range of applications, such as thermal switches and pyrometers. Thermal switches employ pyroelectric components to detect temperature change, and can be used in a variety of electronic applications, such as the thermostat in an air conditioner. Pyrometers use pyroelectric sensors to measure temperature, often in extreme environments.
The most commonly used pyroelectric material is quartz, due to its wide availability and relatively low cost. Other materials and crystal structures, such as lithium tantalite, are used for more specialized applications. Pyroelectric sensors provide extremely sensitive temperature measurement, capable of detecting changes of 0.0001 degree Celsius.
Pyroelectricity is also a commonly used energy harvesting technique, used to generate electricity from heat sources. It is a renewable energy technology that can capture energy from temperature differences between ambient air and the surface of a building. However, it is limited to small scale applications such as powering simple sensors, as the amount of energy harvested from pyroelectric materials is very low.
Pyroelectricity is an important component of the modern electronic landscape, and its applications are increasingly being explored in the fields of energy harvesting, thermal switches and pyrometers.
