Electrocaloric effect in antiferroelectric PbZrO₃ thin films

Antiferroelectric PbZrO 3 thin films have been deposited on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO 2 /Si substrate by polymer modified sol–gel route. Temperature dependent P – E hysteresis loops have been measured at 51 MV/m within a temperature range of 40 °C to 330 °C. The maximum electrocaloric effect ∼0.224 × 10 –6 K mV –1 has been observed near the dielectric phase transition temperature (235 °C) of the thin films. The electrocaloric effect and its strong temperature dependence have been attributed to nearly first‐order phase transition. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)