Electrocaloric Effect in Different Oriented BaZr(0.15)Ti(0.85)O(3) Single Crystals

The electrocaloric effect of ferroelectrics is promising for new solid-state refrigeration. However, the current research on the electrocaloric effect of bulk ferroelectrics mainly focuses on (001) orientation. Thus, we studied the electrocaloric effect of BaZr(0.15)Ti(0.85)O(3) single crystals with different orientations through the nonlinear thermodynamic approach and entropy analysis. The results show that the dipolar entropy of (111)-oriented BaZr(0.15)Ti(0.85)O(3) single crystals exhibits a greater change after applying an external electric field, compared with (001)- and (110)-orientations, and the (001)-oriented electrocaloric responses are consistent with experimental observations. The (111)-oriented BaZr(0.15)Ti(0.85)O(3) single crystals have a more significant electrocaloric response, resulting in a broader work temperature range with a large electrocaloric effect. These insights offer an alternative way to enhance the electrocaloric response of ferroelectric single crystals.