Bulk relaxor ferroelectric ceramics as a working body for an electrocaloric cooling device

The electrocaloric effect (ECE), i.e., the conversion of the electric into the thermal energy has recently become of great importance for development of a new generation of cooling technologies. Here, we explore utilization of [Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O-3](0.9)[PbTiO3](0.1) (PMN-10PT) relaxor ceramics as active elements of the heat regenerator in an ECE cooling device. We show that the PMN-10PT relaxor ceramic exhibits a relatively large electrocaloric change of temperature Delta T-EC > 1K at room temperature. The experimental testing of the cooling device demonstrates the efficient regeneration and establishment of the temperature span between the hot and the cold sides of the regenerator, exceeding several times the Delta T-EC within a single PMN-10PT ceramic plate. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.