Reversible control of thermal conductivity via electric field-driven domain engineering in barium titanate ceramics
Abstract
Heat management is a critical challenge in electronic integrated circuits, solid-state cooling, and thermoelectric energy harvesting, where tunable thermal conductivity could enable precise control of heat flow. While ferroelectrics exhibit promising thermal conductivity modulation in thin films and single crystals, scalable applications demand cost-effective ceramic solutions. Here, we report the first reversible, electric field-driven modulation of thermal conductivity in ferroelectric ceramics. Using in-operando synchrotron and laboratory X-ray diffraction, we correlate changes in ferroelectric domain orientation within grains, aligned by the applied electric field, with the observed thermal conductivity variations, accounting for the anisotropy of the material's thermal conductivity tensor. These findings establish a foundation for next-generation thermal switches, enabling dynamic thermal management with functional ceramic devices.
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BibTeX
@article{feger2026reversible,
title = {{Reversible control of thermal conductivity via electric field-driven domain engineering in barium titanate ceramics}},
author = {Lucile Féger and Nassima Radouane and Koushik Dey and Micka Bah and Vijaya Bhasker and Bruno Pignon and Nathalie Poirot and Tatiana Chartier and Kevin Nadaud and Fabien Giovannelli and Ge Wang and Hareem Zubairi and Xiaojiao Liu and Annette Kleppe and Isabelle Monot-Laffez and Guillaume Nataf},
journal = {Journal of Materials Chemistry C},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1039/d6tc02123a},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05789021v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Reversible control of thermal conductivity via electric field-driven domain engineering in barium titanate ceramics
AU - Lucile Féger
AU - Nassima Radouane
AU - Koushik Dey
AU - Micka Bah
AU - Vijaya Bhasker
AU - Bruno Pignon
AU - Nathalie Poirot
AU - Tatiana Chartier
AU - Kevin Nadaud
AU - Fabien Giovannelli
AU - Ge Wang
AU - Hareem Zubairi
AU - Xiaojiao Liu
AU - Annette Kleppe
AU - Isabelle Monot-Laffez
AU - Guillaume Nataf
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
JO - Journal of Materials Chemistry C
DO - 10.1039/d6tc02123a
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05789021v1
AB - Heat management is a critical challenge in electronic integrated circuits, solid-state cooling, and thermoelectric energy harvesting, where tunable thermal conductivity could enable precise control of heat flow. While ferroelectrics exhibit promising thermal conductivity modulation in thin films and single crystals, scalable applications demand cost-effective ceramic solutions. Here, we report the first reversible, electric field-driven modulation of thermal conductivity in ferroelectric ceramics. Using in-operando synchrotron and laboratory X-ray diffraction, we correlate changes in ferroelectric domain orientation within grains, aligned by the applied electric field, with the observed thermal conductivity variations, accounting for the anisotropy of the material's thermal conductivity tensor. These findings establish a foundation for next-generation thermal switches, enabling dynamic thermal management with functional ceramic devices.
SN - 2050-7526
SN - 2050-7534
ER -