Predicted cooling powers for multilayer capacitors based on various electrocaloric and electrode materials

We argue that the multilayer capacitor (MLC) geometry is ideal for electrocaloric cooling. Thermal modeling predicts that a commercially available MLC, which serendipitously shows electrocaloric effects, could constitute the heart of an idealized heat pump delivering a continuous cooling power of 22.5 W kg−1. This figure could be increased via materials optimization to ∼2875 W kg−1, such that an MLC array whose sheet area is just ∼0.56 m2 would deliver the ∼20 kW cooling power of typical air-cooled chillers for air-conditioning at residential and commercial sites. Expensive materials are not required, and performance could be further enhanced via geometrical improvements.