Piezoelectricity in half-Heusler narrow-bandgap semiconductors

Piezoelectricity is primarily observed in noncentrosymmetric insulators or wide bandgap semiconductors. We report the observation of the piezoelectric (PE) effect in half-Heusler (HH) narrow-bandgap semiconductors TiNiSn, ZrNiSn, and TiCoSb. These materials exhibit shear PE strain coefficients that reach ~38 and 33 picocoulombs per newton in ZrNiSn and TiCoSb, respectively, which are high values for noncentrosymmetric nonpolar materials. We demonstrated a TiCoSb-based PE sensor with a large voltage response and capable of charging a capacitor. The PE effect in HHs remains thermally stable up to 1173 kelvin, underscoring their potential for high-temperature applications. Our observations suggest that these HH narrow-bandgap semiconductors may find promising applications for advanced multifunctional technologies.