Electrocaloric Effect and Phase Transitions in Ferroelectrics

Abstract

This review summarizes the electrocaloric effect (ECE) and phase transition in terms of the phenomenological theory of ferroelectric materials. Field-induced phase transition can happen in first-order phase transition materials and some relaxor ferroelectrics under a high enough electric field. The adiabatic temperature change ∆T under a given electric field shows a peak at the ferroelectric-paraelectric transition which is agreement with the experimental results. The first-order transition and relaxor ferroelectrics would possess larger ECEs than that in a second-order transition ferroelectrics due to the jump of polarization. This relationship between the phase transition and the electrocaloric effect may be helpful in developing new materials for electrocaloric applications.