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Tunable electrocaloric effect in lead scandium tantalate through calcium doping
Youri Nouchokgwe1,2, Natalya S Fedorova3,4, Veronika Kovacova3,4
1Smart Materials Unit, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg. youri.nouchokgwe@list.lu.
Nature Communications
|April 15, 2026
Summary
Calcium doping in lead scandium tantalate (PST) tunes its electrocaloric effect, enabling cooling applications below freezing. This research introduces inverse electrocaloric effects and expands operating temperature ranges for advanced cooling devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Solid State Physics
- Thermodynamics
Background:
- State-of-the-art electrocaloric cooling utilizes the electrocaloric effect in ferroelectric lead scandium tantalate (PST).
- The electrocaloric effect in PST peaks near room temperature, limiting its application range.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of A-site calcium doping on the phase transitions and electrocaloric response of lead scandium tantalate (PST).
- To tune the electrocaloric properties of PST for expanded operating temperature ranges.
Main Methods:
- Calcium doping of PST at the A-site.
- Calorimetry under electric field.
- Electrical polarization loops measurements.
- Piezoresponse force microscopy.
- First-principles calculations.
Main Results:
- Calcium doping shifts the transition temperature of PST between 258 K and 319 K.
- An intermediate antiferroelectric phase emerges for Ca doping ≥ 2%.
- Conventional electrocaloric effect observed for Ca ≤ 2%, inverse effect for Ca ≥ 2%.
- An adiabatic temperature change of 2 K was achieved from 263 K to 353 K with 110 kV cm-1 applied field.
Conclusions:
- Calcium-doped PST offers tunable electrocaloric properties, including inverse effects.
- These materials can extend the operational span of electrocaloric cooling devices below water's freezing point.
- Provides a pathway for developing cascaded electrocaloric cooling systems with broader temperature coverage.
