Giant electrocaloric effect in high-polar-entropy perovskite oxides

Feihong Du, Tiannan Yang, Hua Hao, Shangshu Li, Chenhang Xu, Tian Yao, Zhiwu Song, Jiahe Shen, Chenyun Bai, Ruhong Luo, Donglin Han, Qiang Li, Shanyu Zheng, Yingjing Zhang, Yezhan Lin, Zhenhua Ma, Haotian Chen, Chenyu Guo, Jiawang Feng, Shengyi Zhong, Ruilin Mai, Guodong Hou, Haixin Qiu, Meng Xie, Xin Chen, Yakun Yuan, Dong Qian, Dao Xiang, Xuefeng Chen, Zhengqian Fu, Genshui Wang, Hanxing Liu, Jiangping Chen, Guang Meng, Xiangyang Zhu, Long-Qing Chen, Shujun Zhang () and Xiaoshi Qian ()
Additional contact information
Feihong Du: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Tiannan Yang: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Hua Hao: Wuhan University of Technology
Shangshu Li: Wuhan University of Technology
Chenhang Xu: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Tian Yao: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Zhiwu Song: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Jiahe Shen: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Chenyun Bai: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Ruhong Luo: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Donglin Han: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Qiang Li: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Shanyu Zheng: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Yingjing Zhang: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Yezhan Lin: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Zhenhua Ma: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Haotian Chen: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Chenyu Guo: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Jiawang Feng: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Shengyi Zhong: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Ruilin Mai: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Guodong Hou: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Haixin Qiu: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Meng Xie: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xin Chen: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Yakun Yuan: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Dong Qian: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Dao Xiang: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Xuefeng Chen: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhengqian Fu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Genshui Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hanxing Liu: Wuhan University of Technology
Jiangping Chen: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Guang Meng: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Xiangyang Zhu: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Long-Qing Chen: The Pennsylvania State University
Shujun Zhang: University of Wollongong
Xiaoshi Qian: Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Nature, 2025, vol. 640, issue 8060, 924-930

Abstract: Abstract Materials with a high electrocaloric effect (ECE)1,2 tend to favour a disordered yet easily tunable polar structure. Perovskite ferroelectrics3 stand out as ideal candidates owing to their high dielectric responses and reasonable thermal conductivity. The introduction of multielement atomic distortions induces a high-polar-entropy state4 that notably increases the ECE by effectively overcoming the constraints imposed by highly ordered, polar-correlated perovskite structures. Here we developed a lead-free relaxor ferroelectric with strong polar disorder through targeted multielement substitution at both the A and B sites of the perovskite, effectively distorting the lattice structure and inducing a variety of nanoscale polar configurations, polymorphic polar variants and non-polar regions. A combination of these multielement-induced features led to an increased density of interfaces, significantly enhancing the polar entropy. Remarkably, a high ECE for an entropy change of about 15 J kg−1 K−1 under a 10 MV m−1 field is observed for the material across a broad temperature range exceeding 60 °C. The formation of ultrafine, dispersed, multiphase lattice configurations leads to high-polar-entropy ferroelectric oxides with a high ECE and a long lifetime of over 1 million cycles that are suitable for manufacturing multilayer ceramic capacitors for practical electrocaloric refrigeration applications.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08768-8

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