Giant electrocaloric effect in lead-free thin film of strontium bismuth tantalite

Giant electrocaloric effect was observed in lead-free material for the first time. A demonstration of large electrocaloric effect in 200 nm sol-gel thin film SrBi2Ta2O9 is described here. The ferroelectric hysteresis loops and the film permittivity were measured. The extracted data characterized the electrocaloric temperature change, up to 4.93K in 12V (i.e., 0.41 K V-1) near the Curie point. It is concluded that the giant electrocaloric effect exists in lead-free materials, and a large family of layered perovskite oxides may exhibit analogical property. The absence of lead allows eco-friendly application and enhances compatibility with integrated circuit process in future applications.