A nanocomposite approach to tailor electrocaloric effect in ferroelectric polymer

The electrocaloric effect (ECE) is enhanced in ferroelectric relaxor terpolymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene-chlorofluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE-CFE))/ZrO2 nanocomposites. It was observed that the interface effects between the polymer matrix and nano-fillers enhance the polarization response and provide additional electrocaloric entropy changes. As a consequence, the nanocomposites exhibit a larger ECE than that of the neat terpolymer, i.e., the adiabatic temperature change of the nanocomposite with 3 volume percent of nano-fillers is 120% of that of the neat terpolymer. The results, for the first time, demonstrate that ECE can be tailored and enhanced through nanocomposite approach in the ferroelectric polymers. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.