Although artificial pyroelectric materials have been engineered, the effect was first discovered in minerals such as tourmaline. The pyroelectric effect is also present in bone and tendon.
The most important example is gallium nitride, a semiconductor. The large electric fields in this material are detrimental in light emitting diodes (LEDs), but useful for the production of power transistors.
Progress has been made in creating artificial pyroelectric materials, usually in the form of a thin film, using gallium nitride (GaN), caesium nitrate (CsNO), polyvinyl fluorides, derivatives of phenylpyridine, and cobalt phthalocyanine. Lithium tantalate (LiTaO) is a crystal exhibiting both piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties, which has been used to create small-scale nuclear fusion ("pyroelectric fusion"). Recently, pyroelectric and piezoelectric properties have been discovered in doped hafnium oxide (HfO), which is a standard material in CMOS manufacturing.