Electrocaloric effect

Effet électrocalorique (Fr). Effetto electrocalorico (It).

Definition

The electrocaloric effect is the converse of the pyroelectric effect: it describes the variation of entropy δσ of a material submitted to an applied electrical field E_i :

δσ = p_i^T E_i

where p_i^T is the electrocaloric coefficient at constant stress. It is equal to the pyroelectric coefficient.

See also

• Pyroelectricity
• An introduction to crystal physics (Teaching Pamphlet No. 18 of the International Union of Crystallography)
• Chapters 1.1.4 and Part 3 of International Tables for Crystallography, Volume D