LAUSR

Abstract The coexistence of negative and positive electrocaloric effect have been experimentally demonstrated in lead-free 0.9(K 0.5 Na 0.5 )NbO 3 - 0.1SrTiO 3 nanocrystalline ceramics using an indirect thermodynamic method. The electrocaloric response of − 0.85 K at 276 K and 0.43 K at 330 K were calculated at 40 kV/cm. The corresponding electrocaloric coefficient were estimated to be − 0.24 × 10 − 7  K·mV − 1 and 0.7 × 10 − 7  K·mV − 1 at 273 K and 333 K, respectively. A large electrical storage energy density 1.46 J/cm 3 were achieved. The results indicate that materials possess a huge potential for electrocaloric refrigeration as a micro-cooler and energy storage capacity for electronic devices.