Ferroelectric polymers exhibiting giant cross energy coupling and self-actuated electrocaloric heat pump

Polymeric ferroelectrics are unique for their high pliability, easy fabrication into complicated shapes, and mechanical robustness along with a polar active nature. In the past few years, polymer ferroelectrics have exhibited marked improvements in the electromechanical coupling efficiency, electrostrictive strain, electrocaloric heat-pumping capability. For the first time, the piezoelectric and electromechanical coupling factors of fluorinated alkyne-modified relaxor ferroelectric tetrapolymers have surpassed those of PZT piezoceramics. Additionally, the advances in ferroelectric-based electrocaloric polymers have led to large electrocaloric cooling under ultralow electric fields. Exploiting the high electromechanical and electrocaloric performance of this new class of ferroelectric polymers, we demonstrated recently a self-actuated electrocaloric heat pump. This talk will present recent advancements in the P(VDF-TrFE) based ferroelectric polymers and their device application.