Description:
<jats:p>Ferroelectric solid-state refrigerators have the potential to develop as a competitive not-in-kind refrigeration technology. However, their functionality is limited to below Curie temperature for ferroelectricity to exist. This work reports the relatively unexplored strain gradient-induced caloric effect in ferroelectrics known as a flexocaloric effect (FCE). The FCE can manifest beyond the Curie temperature as entropy changes in a dielectric material are achieved employing strain-induced polarization, which, in turn, produces a caloric effect. This study reports FCE analysis of BaTi0.87Sn0.13O3 ceramics in a cantilever configuration. Different strain gradients were induced to produce the FCE by using the temperature-dependent polarization. A maximum temperature change of ∼1.4 K (310 K) was achieved using a strain gradient of 5000 m−1. The same material was also studied for the electrocaloric effect, which was observed to be 0.3 K (310 K). Results indicate that the FCE could be a potential alternative to electrocaloric refrigeration.</jats:p>