Multicaloric phenomena in novel single-phase and composite materials based on complex oxides

Caloric effects of ferroelectric and ferromagnetic materials have recently received significant attention in solid-state cooling. The electrocaloric effect in bulk ferroelectrics promises easy operation, however it is quite small. The magnetocaloric effect is much stronger but requires application of high magnetic fields and cooling agents. Theoretical models predict that the caloric effect can be larger in multiferroic materials which accommodate multiple ferroic states and which can display various cross-coupling effects arising from coupled mechanical, magnetic, and electric order parameters. The existence of such coupling offers a unique opportunity to explore combined caloric effects (called multicaloric effects). However, to date the experimental evidence for such multicaloric effects in multiferroic materials is very limited. This project aims to explore synergy of several order parameters in novel multiferroic single-phase and composite materials, which could lead to a design of solid state cooling systems based on a multicaloric effect.