We have investigated the electrocaloric (EC) properties of the ceramic 0.7Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.3PbTiO3. A variety of samples with different median grain sizes, i.e., 1.0, 2.2 and 4.0 μm, and relative densities of about 96% were prepared using atmospheric sintering at 1200oC for 2, 8 and 16 h. The ceramic material with a median grain size of 2.2 μm exhibited the highest value for the EC temperature change, i.e., 1.27 K at 60 kV cm−1, measured with a high-resolution calorimeter. This value is 25 and 19% higher than the value for the ceramics with the finer and the coarser grains, respectively.
MoyaX., Kar-NarayanS. and MathurN. D.: ‘Caloric materials near ferroic phase transitions’, Nat. Mater., 2014, 13, 439–450. doi: 10.1038/nmat3951
3.
LuS. G., RožičB., KutnjakZ. and ZhangQ. M.: ‘Electrocaloric effect (ECE) in ferroelectric polymer films’, in ‘Ferroelectrics’ (ed. CoondooI.), 99–108; 2010, Rijeka, Croatia, Intech.
4.
KutnjakZ., RožičB.: ‘Indirect and direct measurements of the electrocaloric effect’, in ‘Electrocaloric materials’ (ed. CorreiaT. and ZhangQ.), 147–182; 2014, Berlin Heidelberg, Germany, Springer-Verlag.
5.
TuttleB. A. and PayneD. A.: ‘The effects of microstructure on the electrocaloric properties of Pb(Zr,Sn,Ti)O3’, Ferroelectrics, 1981, 37, 603–606. doi: 10.1080/00150198108223496
6.
BaiY., HanX., DingK. and QiaoL. J.: ‘Combined effects of diffuse phase transition and microstructure on the electrocaloric effect in Ba1-xSrxTiO3 ceramics’, Appl. Phys. Lett., 2013, 103, (162902), 1–17.
7.
KellyJ., LeonardM., TantigateC. and SafariA.: ‘Effect of composition on the electromechanical properties of (1-x)Pb(Mg1/3 Nb2/3)Mg1/3Nb2/3 ceramics’, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 1997, 80, 957–964. doi: 10.1111/j.1151-2916.1997.tb02927.x
8.
KooT. Y. and CheongS. W.: ‘Dielectric and piezoelectric enhancement due to 90° domain rotation in the tetragonal phase of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3’, Appl. Phys. Lett., 2002, 80, 4205–4207. doi: 10.1063/1.1483120
9.
MovchikovaA., SuchaneckG., MalyshkinaO. V., PedkoB. B. and GerlachG.: ‘Thermal wave study of piezoelectric coefficient distribution in PMN-PT single crystals’, Adv. Appl. Ceram., 2010, 109, 131–134. doi: 10.1179/174367509X12472364600995
10.
UršičH., LevassortF., HolcJ., LethiecqM. and KosecM.: ‘0.65Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.35PbTiO3 thick films for high-frequency piezoelectric transducer applications’, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., 2013, 52, (055502), 1–6.
11.
LevassortF., Hladky-HennionA. C., Le KhanhH., Tran-Huu-HueP., LethiecqM. and Pham ThiM.: ‘0–3 and 1–3 piezocomposites based on single crystal PMN-PT for transducer applications’, Adv. Appl. Ceram., 2010, 109, 162–168. doi: 10.1179/174367509X12472364601075
12.
PlaznikU., KitanovskiA., RožičB., MaličB., UršičH., DrnovšekS., CilenšekJ., VrabeljM., PoredošA. and KutnjakZ.: ‘Bulk relaxor ferroelectric ceramics as a working body for an electrocaloric cooling device’, Appl. Phys. Lett., 2015, 106, (043903), 1–4.
13.
RožičB., KosecM., UršičH., HolcJ., MaličB., ZhangQ. M., BlincR., PircR. and KutnjakZ.: ‘Influence of the critical point on the electrocaloric response of relaxor ferroelectrics’, J. Appl. Phys., 2011, 110, (064118), 1–5.
14.
LuoL., DietzeM., SolterbeckC. H., SouniM. E. and LuoH.: ‘Orientation and phase transition dependence of the electrocaloric effect in 0.71PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3–0.29PbTiO3 single crystal’, Appl. Phys. Lett., 2012, 101, (062907), 1–4. doi: 10.1016/j.physletb.2012.06.062
15.
PeräntieJ., CorreiaT., HagbergJ. and UusimäkiA.: ‘Electrocaloric effect in relaxor ferroelectric-based materials’, in ‘Electrocaloric Materials’ (ed. CorreiaT. and ZhangQ.), 47–90; 2014, Berlin Heidelberg, Germany, Springer-Verlag.
16.
WilcoxD., DoveB., McDavidD. and GreerD.: UTHSCSA image tool for windows version 3.0, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, 2002, http://compdent.uthscsa.edu/dig/itdesc.html, accessed: November, 2013.
17.
WaltonW. H.: ‘Feret's statistical diameter as a measure of particle size’, Nature, 1948, 162, 329–330. doi: 10.1038/162329b0
18.
RožičB., MaličB., UršičH., HolcJ., KosecM., NeeseB., ZhangQ. M. and KutnjakZ.: ‘Direct measurements of the electrocaloric effect in bulk PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3 (PMN) ceramics’, Ferroelectrics, 2011, 421, 103–107. doi: 10.1080/00150193.2011.594742
19.
NoblancO., GaucherP. and CalvarinG.: ‘Structural and dielectric studies of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 ferroelectric solid solutions around the morphotropic boundary’, J. Appl. Phys., 1996, 79, 4291–4297. doi: 10.1063/1.361865
20.
SinghA. K. and PandeyD.: ‘Evidence for MB and MC phases in the morphotropic phase boundary region of (1–x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–xPbTiO3: a Rietveld study’, Phys. Rev. B, 2003, 67, (064102), 1–12.
21.
AlgueroM., MoureA., PardoL., HolcJ. and KosecM.: ‘Processing by mechanosynthesis and properties of piezoelectric Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 with different compositions’, Acta Mater., 2006, 54, 501–511. doi: 10.1016/j.actamat.2005.09.020
22.
RojacT., BenčanA., UršičH., MaličB. and KosecM.: ‘Synthesis of a Li- and Ta-modified (K,Na)NbO3 solid solution by mechanochemical activation’, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 2008, 91, 3789–3791. doi: 10.1111/j.1551-2916.2008.02714.x
23.
ZhaoX., WangJ., ChanH. L. W., ChoyC. L. and LuoH.: ‘Effect of a bias field on the dielectric properties of 0.69Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.31PbTiO3 single crystals with different orientations’, J. Phys. Condens. Matter, 2003, 15, 6899–6908. doi: 10.1088/0953-8984/15/40/025
24.
ZhangR., PengS., XiaoD., WangY., YangB., ZhuJ., YuP., and ZhangW.: ‘Preparation and characterization of (1-x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–xPbTiO3 electrocaloric ceramics’, Cryst. Res. Technol., 1998, 33, 827–832. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1521-4079(1998)33:5<827::AID-CRAT827>3.0.CO;2-H
25.
LeiteE. R., ScotchA. M., KhanA., LiT., ChanH. M., HarmerM. P., LiuS. F. and ParkS. E.: ‘Chemical heterogeneity in PMN–35PT ceramics and effects on dielectric and piezoelectric properties’, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 2002, 85, 3018–3024. doi: 10.1111/j.1151-2916.2002.tb00572.x
26.
RandallC. A., HiltonA. D., BarberD. J. and ShroutT. R.: ‘Extrinsic contributions to the grain size dependence of relaxor ferroelectric Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3: PbTiO3 ceramics’, J. Mater. Res., 1993, 8, 880–884. doi: 10.1557/JMR.1993.0880
27.
HardtlK. H. and RauH.: ‘PbO vapour pressure in Pb(Ti1–XZrx)O3 system’, Sol. State Commun., 1969, 7, 41–45. doi: 10.1016/0038-1098(69)90688-7
28.
VrabeljM., UršičH., KutnjakZ., RožičB., DrnovšekS., BenčanA., BobnarV., Fulanovic´L. and MaličB.: ‘Large electrocaloric effect in grain-size-engineered 0.9Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.1PbTiO3’, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc., 2016, 36, 75–80. doi: 10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2015.09.031
