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.