Electrocaloric effect and high energy storage efficiency in lead-free Ba$_{0.95}$Ca$_{0.05}$Ti$_{0.89}$Sn$_{0.11}$O$_3$ ceramic elaborated by sol-gel method

TL;DR

This study investigates lead-free BaCaTiSnO ceramic's structural, dielectric, ferroelectric, electrocaloric, and energy storage properties, highlighting its potential for eco-friendly refrigeration and energy storage due to high efficiency and significant electrocaloric effect.

Contribution

It introduces a new lead-free ceramic with enhanced electrocaloric and energy storage performance, elaborated via the sol-gel method, with detailed structural and property analysis.

Findings

Phase coexistence of tetragonal and orthorhombic structures confirmed.

Electrocaloric temperature change of 0.807 K at 30 kV/cm.

High energy storage efficiency demonstrated.

Abstract

Structural, dielectric, ferroelectric, energy storage properties, and electrocaloric effect were studied in lead-free ceramic Ba$_{0.95}$Ca$_{0.05}$Ti$_{0.89}$Sn$_{0.11}$O$_3$ (BCTSn) elaborated by sol-gel method. Phase purity structure was confirmed from X-ray data using Rietveld refinement analysis which revealed the coexistence of tetragonal (P4mm) and orthorhombic (Amm2) symmetries at room temperature. Phase transitions were detected by dielectric and differential scanning calorimetry results. Energy storage properties were determined from P-E hysteresis, and the electrocaloric properties were calculated indirectly via the Maxwell approach. The large value of electrocaloric temperature change of $\Delta$T=0.807 K obtained at a relatively small field of 30 kV cm$^{-1}$ and high energy storage efficiency can make BCTSn ceramic a promising candidate for environmentally friendly refrigeration and energy storage applications.