Recently, the coupling of ferroelectrics with electrochemical reactions has attracted increasing interest for harvesting waste heat. The change of polarization of a ferroelectric with temperature can be used to influence chemical reactions, especially when the material is cycled near its Curie temperature. In this perspective, we introduce the principle of pyroelectric controlled electrochemical processes by harvesting waste heat energy and explore their potential electrochemical applications, such as water treatment, air purification, and hydrogen generation. As an emerging approach for driving electrochemical reactions, the presence of thermal fluctuations and/or transient waste heat in the environment has the potential to be the primary thermal input for driving the change in polarization of a pyroelectric to release charge for such reactions. There are a number of avenues to explore, and we summarize strategies for forming multi-functional or hybrid materials and future directions such as selecting pyroelectrics with low Curie temperature (<100°C), improved heat conductivity, enhanced surface area or porosity, tailored microstructures, and systems capable of operating over a broader temperature range.

近来，铁电体与电化学反应的耦合已经吸引了越来越多的兴趣以收集废热。铁电体的极化随温度的变化可用于影响化学反应，特别是当材料在居里温度附近循环时。从这个角度出发，我们通过收集废热能来介绍热电控制电化学过程的原理，并探讨其潜在的电化学应用，例如水处理，空气净化和制氢。作为驱动电化学反应的一种新兴方法，环境中热波动和/或瞬时废热的存在有可能成为驱动热释电极化改变以释放此类反应电荷的主要热输入。