We investigate the electrocaloric effect of Ba 0.8 Sr 0.2 Ti 1-x Zr x O 3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) system by comparing the electrocaloric temperature change (ΔT) of different compositions belonging to the different regions of the phase diagram. We show that as the amount of Zr increases, electrocaloric temperature change initially decreases as the phase transition gets diffuse then increases again as the composition of the samples are located closer to the critical point where different ferroelectric phases coexist. Since the critical point is reached at relatively low Zr substitution levels (i.e. around x = 0.07), the phase transition doesn't get too diffuse and thefore the compositions between x = 0 and x = 0.10 (which contains higher Zr than the critical point composition) have comparable ΔT values. Electrocaloric efficiency of these compositions (x = 0.03, 0.05 and 0.07) is around 0.20 K mm/kV at 20 kV/cm. We discuss the results in terms of the balance between the nature of the phase transition and proximity to the critical point, based on the phase diagram.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.