Direct observation of room-temperature electrocaloric and magnetocaloric responses in multicaloric composite films

Regis de Moraes, Victor (author), Goričan, Ivana (author), Šadl, Matej (author), Benčan, Andreja (author), Dražić, Goran (author), Gyergyek, Sašo (author), Tomc, Urban (author), Kitanovski, Andrej (author), Stern-Taulats, Enric (author), Lünser, Klara (author), Mañosa, Lluís (author), Uršič Nemevšek, Hana (author)

For the first time, room-temperature electrocaloric (EC) and magnetocaloric (MC) effects were observed in multicaloric composites using direct characterization methods. By combining the EC ceramic 0.9Pb(Mg▫$_{1/3}$▫Nb▫$_{2/3}$▫)O▫$_{3}$▫–0.1PbTiO▫$_{3}$▫ (PMN–10PT) with the MC La-Fe-Si-Co (LFSC) alloy, the multicaloric films were prepared. The PMN–10PT films exhibited a dielectric permittivity of ∼600, while composites exhibited improved values at ∼700. The room-temperature EC response of composites was ∼0.45 K at 250 kV cm▫$^{−1}$▫, a 32 % enhancement when compared to PMN–10PT films. This enhancement in composite films is attributed to Maxwell-Wagner-type polarization effects, induced by the embedded LFSC MC particles. The room-temperature MC response of composite films was directly characterized, achieving a MC response ∼1.4 K at 2 T, after corrections. Our results bring novel insights on the feasibility of preparing multicaloric composites with enhanced caloric properties for room-temperature micro-cooling technologies.

• Language: English
• Keywords: multicaloric composites, electrocaloric, magnetocaloric, multicaloric, powder aerosol deposition, thick films
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 9 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 46, issue 15, art. 118584
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-183569
• UDC: 536.5:620.168
• ISSN on article: 0955-2219
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2026.118584
• COBISS.SI-ID: 281625091
• Publication date in RUL: 15.06.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of the European ceramic society
• Shortened title: J. Eur. Ceram. Soc.
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0955-2219
• COBISS.SI-ID: 6342151

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: multikalorični kompoziti, elektrokalorični odzivi, magnetokalorični odzivi, multikalorične plasti, aerosolno nanašanje prahu, debele plasti