Electrocaloric Effect of Structural Configurated Ferroelectric Polymer Nanocomposites for Solid-State Refrigeration

Applying an electrical field to a polar polymer may induce a large change in the dipolar ordering, and if the associated entropy changes are large, they can be explored in cooling applications. With the use of the Maxwell relation between the pyroelectric coefficient and the electrocaloric effect (ECE), it was determined that a large ECE can be realized in the ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] copolymer at temperatures above the ferroelectric-paraelectric transition (above 70 degrees C), where an isothermal entropy change of more than 55 joules per kilogram per kelvin degree and adiabatic temperature change of more than 12 degrees C were observed. We further showed that a similar level of ECE near room temperature can be achieved by working with the relaxor ferroelectric polymer of P(VDF-TrFE-chlorofluoroethylene).

High-k polymer nanocomposites have considerable potential in energy storage and dielectric applications because of their ease of processing, flexibility, and low cost. Core-shell nanoarchitecture strategies are versatile and powerful tools for the design and synthesis of advanced high-k polymer nanocomposites. Recent and in-progress state-of-the-art advancements in the application of core-shell nanoarchitecture strategies to design and prepare high-k polymer nanocomposites are summarized. Special focus is directed to emphasizing their advantages over conventional melt-mixing and solution-mixing methods: first, homogeneous nanoparticle dispersion can be easily achieved even in highly loaded nanocomposites; second, the dielectric constant of the nanocomposites can be effectively enhanced and meanwhile the high breakdown strength can be well-preserved; third, for nanocomposites filled with electrically conductive nanoparticles, dielectric loss can be effectively surpressed, and meanwhile a high dielectric constant can be achieved. In addition, fundamental insights into the roles of the interfaces on the dielectric properties of the nanocomposites can be probed. The last part of the article is concluded with current problems and future perspectives of utilizing the core-shell nanoarchitecture strategies for the development of high-k polymer nanocomposites.