Enhancement of the electrocaloric effect in the 0.4BCZT-0.6BTSn ceramic synthesized by sol-gel route

The lead-free ferroelectric 0.4Ba_0.85Ca_0.15Zr_0.10Ti_0.90O₃-0.6BaTi_0.89Sn_0.11O₃ (0.4BCZT-0.6BTSn) ceramics were successfully prepared by the sol-gel process. Raman spectroscopy was used to examine the structural properties of the 0.4BCZT-0.6BTSn sample. The findings indicate that the sample was well crystallized into a single perovskite structure. The phase transitions of the studied sample have been investigated using the DSC technique. The electrocaloric effect (ECE) properties were indirectly determined using the Maxwell approach. Under a relatively low applied electric field of 30 kV cm⁻¹, the results show enhanced electrocaloric temperature change and entropy change of ΔT = 1.32 K and ΔS = 1.41 J/kg.K, respectively. Besides, the electrocaloric responsivity (ξ _max = 0.45 K·mm/kV) obtained is among the highest reported values in pb-free ferroelectrics near room temperature. These findings demonstrate that the lead-free 0.4BCZT-0.6BTSn ceramic is a promising candidate for solid-state cooling applications.