Caloric effects in ferroic materials

• Published in: MRS bulletin Vol. 43; no. 4; pp. 264 - 268
• Main Authors: Fähler, Sebastian, Pecharsky, Vitalij K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.04.2018; Springer International Publishing; Springer Nature B.V; Materials Research Society
• Subjects: Applied and Technical Physics; Caloric Effects in Ferroic Materials; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Cooling; Efficiency; Energy; Energy Materials; Ferroelastic materials; Ferroelectric materials; Ferroelectricity; Ferromagnetic materials; Heat; Materials Engineering; MATERIALS SCIENCE; Nanotechnology; Permanent magnets; Phase transitions; Shape memory alloys; Temperature; United States > US; ferroelectric; energetic material; ferromagnetic; phase transformation
• ISSN: 0883-7694; 1938-1425
• DOI: 10.1557/mrs.2018.66

The fundamentals and applications of ferroic materials—ferromagnetic, ferroelectric, and ferroelastic—are common subjects discussed in just about every graduate course related to functional materials. Looking beyond today’s traditional uses, such as in permanent magnets, capacitors, and shape-memory alloys, there are worthwhile and interesting questions common to the caloric properties of these ferroic materials. Can ferroic materials be used in a cooling cycle? Why are these materials susceptible to external fields? Which combination of properties is required to make some of them suitable for efficient cooling and heat pumping? We address these questions in this introduction to ferroic cooling, which comprises magnetocaloric, electrocaloric, elastocaloric and barocaloric approaches and combinations thereof (i.e., multicalorics). These are addressed in greater detail in the articles in this issue.