Double hysteresis loops and large negative and positive electrocaloric effects in tetragonal ferroelectrics

Phase field modelling and thermodynamic analysis are employed to investigate depolarization and compression induced large negative and positive electrocaloric effects (ECEs) in ferroelectric tetragonal crystalline nanoparticles. The results show that double-hysteresis loops of polarization versus electric field dominate at temperatures below the Curie temperature of the ferroelectric material, when the mechanical compression exceeds a critical value. In addition to the mechanism of pseudo-first-order phase transition (PFOPT), the double-hysteresis loops are also caused by the abrupt rise of macroscopic polarization from the abc phase to the c phase or the sudden fall of macroscopic polarization from the c phase to the abc phase when the temperature increases. This phenomenon is called the electric-field-induced-pseudo-phase transition (EFIPPT) in the present study. Similar to the two types of PFOPTs, the two types of EFIPPTs cause large negative and positive ECEs, respectively, and give the maximum absolute values of negative and positive adiabatic temperature change (ATC ΔT). The temperature associated with the maximum absolute value of negative ATC ΔT is lower than that associated with the maximum positive ATC ΔT. Both maximum absolute values of ATC ΔTs change with the variation in the magnitude of an applied electric field and depend greatly on the compression intensity.