Giant electrocaloric materials energy efficiency in highly ordered lead scandium tantalate

Electrocaloric materials are promising working bodies for caloric-based technologies, suggested as an efficient alternative to the vapor compression systems. However, their materials efficiency defined as the ratio of the exchangeable electrocaloric heat to the work needed to trigger this heat remains unknown. Here, we show by direct measurements of heat and electrical work that a highly ordered bulk lead scandium tantalate can exchange more than a hundred times more electrocaloric heat than the work needed to trigger it. Besides, our material exhibits a maximum adiabatic temperature change of 3.7K at an electric field of 40kVcm(-1). These features are strong assets in favor of electrocaloric materials for future cooling devices. The intrinsic efficiency of electrocaloric materials has been largely overlooked. Here, the authors use the parameter materials efficiency as the figure of merit to rank caloric materials, reporting on the materials efficiency of highly ordered bulk lead scandium tantalate PST.

Automated summary

Electrocaloric materials, like highly ordered bulk lead scandium tantalate PST, have shown promising efficiency in exchanging electrocaloric heat compared to the work needed to trigger it, making them strong candidates for future cooling devices. The intrinsic efficiency of electrocaloric materials has been largely overlooked, indicating the need for further research and development in this field.