Internship in electrocaloric effect in ceramic materials at cryogenic temperatures

Internship contract (compulsory)– 6 months | Fulltime/40h | From 01.03.2026 on | Belval. Are you passionate about research? So are we! Come and join us. Refrigeration and air conditioning account for ~17% of global energy consumption, a figure expected to triple by 2050, while contributing over 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Conventional vapor-compression cooling relies on high–global-warming-potential refrigerants, creating an urgent need for energy-efficient and environmentally friendly alternatives. Electrocaloric cooling is a promising solid-state technology that can be up to 20% more efficient than vapor-compression systems. It uses ferroelectric materials that undergo a reversible temperature change under an applied electric field. The materials heats upon application and cools upon removal of an electric field. This temperature change arises from an entropy variation induced by the electric field. The electrocaloric effect is strongest near the Curie temperature, where the material transitions from ferroelectric to paraelectric and the polarization changes most strongly with temperature. To date, EC research has largely focused on room-temperature operation, while low-temperature electrocaloric effects, down to liquid nitrogen temperatures remain largely unexplored. The intern will investigate the electrocaloric effect in ferroelectric ceramics at low temperatures.