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Complex oxides exhibit a wide range of fascinating functionalities, such as ferroelectricity, piezoelectricity, and pyroelectricity, which are indispensable for cutting-edge electronics, energy, and information technologies. The intriguing physical properties of these complex oxides arise from the complex interplay between lattice, orbital, charge, and spin degrees of freedom. Here, it is reviewed how electromechanical properties can be achieved/improved by artificially breaking the symmetry of centrosymmetric oxides via engineering thermodynamic variables such as stress, strain, electric field, and chemical potentials. The mechanisms that have been utilized to break the inherent symmetry of conventional materials that lead to novel functionalities and applications are explored. It is highlighted that access to “hidden phases,” which otherwise are prohibited, could uncover opportunities to host exotic properties, such as piezoelectricity, pyroelectricity, etc. This review not only reports how to engineer intrinsically nonpolar and centrosymmetric oxides for emergent properties, but also has implications for manipulating polar functional materials for better performance.

Internet-of-thing (IoT) is an assembly of devices that collect and share data with other devices and communicate via the internet. This massive network of devices, generates and communicates data and is the key to the value in IoT, allowing access to raw information, gaining insight, and making an intelligent decisions. Today, there are billions of IoT devices such as sensors and actuators deployed. Many of these applications are easy to connect, but those tucked away in hard-to-access spots will need to harvest ambient energy. Therefore, the aim is to create devices that are self-report in real-time. Efforts are underway to install a self-powered unit in IoT devices that can generate sufficient power from environmental conditions such as light, vibration, and heat. In this review paper, we discuss the recent progress made in materials and device development in power- and, storage units, and power management relevant for IoT applications. This review paper will give a comprehensive overview for new researchers entering the field of IoT and a collection of challenges as well as perspectives for people already working in this field.