RESUMO
A non-contact and direct electrocaloric effect (ECE) measurement system was developed for rapid ECE measurement. The ECE of ferroelectric materials was measured directly using two measurement methods, namely, the constant heating rate method (CH method) and one-dimensional temperature gradient method (1D method), with the measurement system. The CH method continuously measures the ECE while gently heating the sample, and it can evaluate the performance of the sample more quickly than conventional methods that measure the ECE at steady state. The 1D method directly measures the ECE using a 1D temperature distribution applied to the sample. This method can measure the temperature dependence of the ECE faster than the CH method. The measurement system achieved a high signal-to-noise ratio, and the temperature dependence of the ECE measured by the two methods was consistent. The proposed measurement system and methods enable promising candidate materials for electrocaloric cooling systems to be screened more rapidly than when using conventional approaches.