Influence of vortex domain switching on the electrocaloric property of a ferroelectric nanoparticle

The influence of vortex domain switching on the electrocaloric (EC) property of a PbTiO3 nanoparticle is studied using the phase field method combined with thermodynamics analysis. The calculation results reveal that both a very large negative adiabatic temperature change (Delta T = -6.34 K) and a positive adiabatic temperature change (Delta T = 4.16 K) appear in the PbTiO3 nanoparticle when the vortex domain switches from the clockwise state to the counterclockwise state under a curled electric field. The obtained results will be of help in understanding the EC property in ferroelectrics with multidomain structure.