Giant temperature span in electrocaloric regenerator

Abstract

Cooling devices based on caloric materials have emerged as promising candidates to become the next generation of coolers. Several electrocaloric (EC) heat exchangers have been proposed that use different mechanisms and working principles. However, a prototype that demonstrates a competitive temperature span has been missing. We developed a parallel-plate active EC regenerator based on lead scandium tantalate multilayer capacitors. After optimizing the structural design by using finite element modeling for guidance and to considerably improve insulation, we measured a maximum temperature span of 13.0 kelvin. This temperature span breaks a crucial barrier and confirms that EC materials are promising candidates for cooling applications.