THE APPLICATION OF FE1-FE2 PHASE TRANSITION IN Nb DOPED (95/5) FERROELECTRIC CERAMICS TO HEAT-ELECTRIC ENERGY CONVERSION

Formerly, direct conversion of heat to electricity was carried out by making use of ferroelectric to paraelectric (FE-P) transition. In this paper a new method utilizing pyroelectric effect between two ferroelectric phases (FEI-FE2) is suggested and the Nb doped PZT (95/5) ceramic materials are used as actuating media. The intrinsic efficiency as well as the output electric power in energy conversion is estimated in terms of the charge-voltage behaviour during phase transition. Two methods of the energy conversion concerned are compared.