Electro-caloric (EC) properties of lead-free Ba 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 -xBaTiO 3 (BNT-xBT) ceramics prepared by citrate method are investigated at temperatures of 30-250°C. Based on thermodynamics calculations, BNT-xBT (x00, 0.05, 0.06, 0.1, 0.25, 0.3) are found to show EC effects different with other lead-based or lead-free ferroelectric ceramics, i.e., they absorb heats (refrigeration effect) during the processes of field application while other ferroelectric ceramics show refrigeration effect during the processes of field removal. The EC temperature change of BNT-xBT can be as large as 2.1°C under an electric field of 60 kV/cm, which is larger than most of the lead-free ferroelectric bulk ceramics. When x is close to the morphotropic phase boundary (x~0.06-0.1), the EC temperature change of BNT-xBT shows a maximum near the ferroelectric to anti-ferroelectric transition temperature, which is characterized by dynamic mechanical analysis. This study suggests that these lead-free ferroelectric materials are promising in the practical application as EC coolers.
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.