First principles of antiferroelectric energy storage

Can antiferroelectrics be used for energy storage and conversion applications?

Herein, we provide perspectives on the development of antiferroelectrics for energy storage and conversion applications, as well as a comprehensive understanding of the structural origin of antiferroelectricity and field-induced phase transitions, followed by design strategies for new lead-free antiferroelectrics.

Is antiferroelectricity a resurgence in energy-efficient applications?

As a close relative of ferroelectricity, antiferroelectricity has received a recent resurgence of interest driven by technological aspirations in energy-efficient applications, such as energy storage capacitors, solid-state cooling devices, explosive energy conversion, and displacement transducers.

What are antiferroelectric materials used for?

Antiferroelectric materials exhibit a unique electric-field-induced phase transition, which enables their use in energy storage, electrocaloric cooling, and nonvolatile memory applications. However...

Can antiferroelectric materials store energy in pulsed-power technologies?

The polarization response of antiferroelectrics to electric fields is such that the materials can store large energy densities, which makes them promising candidates for energy storage applications in pulsed-power technologies. However, relatively few materials of this kind are known.

Are antiferroelectrics a promising material with high energy density?

Continued efforts are being devoted to find materials with high energy density, and antiferroelectrics (AFEs) are promising because of their characteristic polarization–electric field (P – E) double hysteresis loops schematized in Fig. 1a (ref. 4).

Are antiferroelectric materials irreversible?

Antiferroelectric materials exhibit a unique electric-field-induced phase transition, which enables their use in energy storage, electrocaloric cooling, and nonvolatile memory applications. However, in many prototype antiferroelectrics this transition is irreversible, which prevents their implementation.