Temperature dependences of the electromechanical and electrocaloric properties of Ba(Zr,Ti)O 3 and (Ba,Sr)TiO 3 ceramics

Abstract The electrocaloric properties of Ba(Zr,Ti)O 3 and (Ba,Sr)TiO 3 ceramics (BZT and BST, respectively) were investigated by the indirect estimation and direct measurement of temperature–electric field ( T – E ) hysteresis loops. The measured T – E loops had shapes similar to those of the strain–electric field ( s – E ) loops. The measured temperature changes (Δ T s) at around 30 °C of the BZT ceramics sintered at 1450 °C and BST ceramics sintered at 1600 °C upon the release of the electric field from 30 kV/cm to 0 were 0.34 and 0.57 K, respectively. The temperature dependences of the electromechanical and electrocaloric properties were investigated. The BZT ceramics sintered at 1450 °C exhibited the largest electromechanical and electrocaloric properties at around 30 °C, which corresponds to the phase transition temperature. BST is more temperature dependent than BZT. BST ceramics sintered at 1600 °C exhibited the largest electromechanical and electrocaloric properties at around 29 °C, which is about 10 °C higher than the phase transition temperature.