Controling Thermal Functionality via Light-Driven Transitions in Ferroelectrics

I will present our recent theoretical predictions on the use of light to control -- in a dynamic and reversible way -- the thermal behavior of materials. Specifically, I will show how we can take advantage of the fact that some ferroelectric compounds -- i.e., perovskite oxides like KNbO3 and BaTiO3 -- undergo strutural phase transitions upon illumination [1]. Our first-principles simulations predict that such light-driven transformations result in changes of up to 30% in the thermal conductivity of KNbO3 at room temperature [2]. Additionally, we propose that such effects can be leveraged to implement "photocaloric" thermodynamic cycles that permit an efficient exchange of thermal energy with the environment, providing us with an ecofriendly alternative for refriggeration or heating [3]. Our results thus emphasize how light may be a handle to tune the thermal properties of materials and even obtain new functionalities.

Work at LIST funded by the Luxembourg National Research Fund through Grant C21/MS/15799044/FERRODYNAMICS.

[1] Photo-induced phase transitions in ferroelectrics, C. Paillard, E. Torun, L. Wirtz, J. Íñiguez and L. Bellaiche, Physical Review Letters 123, 087601 (2019).

[2] Light-driven dynamical tuning of the thermal conductivity in ferroelectrics, C. Cazorla, S. Bichelmaier, C. Escorihuela-Sayalero, J. Íñiguez, J. Carrete and R. Rurali, Nanoscale 16, 8335 (2024).

[3] Giant photocaloric effects across a vast temperature range in ferroelectric perovskites, R. Rurali, C. Escorihuela-Sayalero, J.L. Tamarit, J. Íñiguez-González and C. Cazorla, Physical Review Letters 133, 116401 (2024). Editor's suggestion.