Electrocaloric characterization of a poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene-chlorofluoroethylene) terpolymer by infrared imaging

The electrocaloric effect in thin films of a poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene chlorofluoroethylene) terpolymer (62.6/29.4/8 mol. %, 11-12 mu m thick) is directly measured by infrared imaging at ambient conditions. The adiabatic temperature change is estimated to be 5.2K for an applied electric field of 90 V/mu m. The temperature change is independent of the operating frequency in the range of 0.03-0.3 Hz and is stable over a testing period of 30 min. Application of this terpolymer is promising for micro-scale refrigeration. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.