Organic and inorganic relaxor ferroelectrics used for electrocaloric effect (ECE) applications are introduced. Relaxor ferroelectrics offer several advantages for ECE devices, e.g., infinite states without applying electric field, field-induced large polarization, no-hysteresis of heating and cooling, small-hysteresis polarization loss, room temperature phase transition, and broad temperature range. The ECE in relaxor ferroelectrics under a high electric field can be described using a theory similar to that for first-order phase transition materials. Large ECE was observed directly in high-energy electron irradiated poly(vinylidene fluoride–trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF–TrFE)) 68/32 mol% copolymers, P(VDF–TrFE–CFE) (CFE-chlorofluoroethylene) 59.2/33.6/7.2 mol% terpolymers, P(VDF–TrFE–CFE)–P(VDF–CTFE) (CTFE-chlorotrifluoroethylene) 95/5 wt% terpolymer blended films, and (PbLa)(ZrTi)O3 (PLZT) ceramic thin films. ECE reported in Pb(Sc1/2Ta1/2)O3 (PST), Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 (PMN–PT) thin films is also summarized. Finally, the perspective of ECE devices is illustrated.
Aging Behavior and Electric Field Induced Instabilities in Lead Magnesium Niobate - Titanate Relaxor Ferroelectric Single Crystal