Large Electrocaloric Effect in Relaxor Ferroelectric and Antiferroelectric Lanthanum Doped Lead Zirconate Titanate Ceramics

Both relaxor ferroelectric and antiferroelectric materials can individually demonstrate large electrocaloric effects (ECE). However, in order to further enhance the ECE it is crucial to find a material system, which can exhibit simultaneously both relaxor ferroelectric and antiferroelectric properties, or easily convert from one into another in terms of the compositional tailoring. Here we report on a system, in which the structure can readily change from antiferroelectric into relaxor ferroelectric and vice versa. To this end relaxor ferroelectric Pb(0.89)La(0.11)(Zr(0.7)Ti(0.3))(0.9725)O(3) and antiferroelectric Pb(0.93)La(0.07)(Zr(0.82)Ti(0.18))(0.9825)O(3) ceramics were designed near the antiferroelectric-ferroelectric phase boundary line in the La(2)O(3)-PbZrO(3)-PbTiO(3) phase diagram. Conventional solid state reaction processing was used to prepare the two compositions. The ECE properties were deduced from Maxwell relations and Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire (LGD) phenomenological theory, respectively, and also directly controlled by a computer and measured by thermometry. Large electrocaloric efficiencies were obtained and comparable with the results calculated via the phenomenological theory. Results show great potential in achieving large cooling power as refrigerants.