Giant electrocaloric response in compositional manipulated BaTiO3 relaxor–ferroelectric system
Ying Hou, Jiacheng Li, Junfeng Ding, Tingting Ye, Ruihong Liang
Abstract
The compositional manipulation of the multiphase coexistence in relaxor–ferroelectrics has been reported to be an effective approach to generate the giant electrocaloric effect. In this work, we systemically investigate the temperature-dependent electrocaloric effect in BaZr0.18Ti0.82O3–BaSn0.11Ti0.89O3 relaxors, where Zr and Sn are introduced into BaTiO3 to develop the multiphase coexistence at the ferroelectric–paraelectric transition. Through the direct measurement by the heat flux sensor, a large temperature change around 4 K under an electric field of 10 MV m−1, combined with a broad temperature span (20 °C–60 °C), has been observed. For comparison, the electrocaloric properties are also indirectly deduced based on Maxwell equations and Landau–Ginzburg–Devonshire phenomenological theory, and the validity of the indirect methods in this relaxor–ferroelectric system has been discussed. This work would shed light on developing giant electrocaloric materials with a wide operating temperature range.