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Electric Field Control of Phonon Lifetimes and Thermal Conductivity in Relaxor-Based Ferroelectric

Puspa Upreti1,*,†, Delaram Rashadfar2,*, Raffi Sahul3, Douglas L. Abernathy4, Joseph P. Heremans2,5,‡, Raphaël P. Hermann1, and Michael E. Manley1,§

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: upretipr@ornl.gov
  • ‡Deceased.
  • §Contact author: manleyme@ornl.gov
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PRX Energy 5, 013001 – Published 5 January, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/5d1z-wg4p

Abstract

The demand for high energy efficiency drives intense interest in thermal-management technology. Phonons are a major contributor to heat transfer in solids and controlling them through external stimuli is a key challenge for thermal management due to their weak interactions with applied fields. We report significant changes in phonon transport with the application of an electric field over a broad temperature range in a relaxor-based ferroelectric using neutron-scattering and -transport measurements. Phonon lifetimes increase along the applied poling field and this results in a tripling of the thermal conductivity in that direction. We also observe a suppression of nanoscale antiferroelectric fluctuations along the poling direction and argue that this increases the phonon lifetimes. Our results highlight a promising yet underexplored route to realistic solid-state heat switching from electric-field-modified nanostructures altering the phonon lifetimes in disordered functional materials.

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Popular Summary

Relaxor ferroelectrics exhibit broad, diffuse phase transitions controlled by inhomogeneous polar nanoregions; harnessing these phase transitions would enable enhanced functional properties for technologies ranging from ultrasonic actuators to optoelectronic switches. Applying an electric field to a relaxor ferroelectric alters its inhomogeneous structure at a scale comparable to the mean-free-paths of its heat carrying phonons, suggesting that these materials might also be utilized to control heat flow. Here, the authors report a large thermal conductivity enhancement (∼300%) in the prototypical relaxor PMN-30PT (0.7[Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3]-0.3PbTiO3) in response to field poling. Using neutron scattering the authors show that phonons increase thermal conductivity by propagating longer distances along the poling direction. This extended path for the phonons is attributed to an observed suppression of a nanoscale antiferroelectric instability along that direction. These results point to a way for disordered functional materials to be utilized in thermal switching devices, enhancing efficient thermal management capabilities.

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PRX Energy 5, 013001– Published 5 January, 2026
  • Received 13 August 2025
  • Revised 9 November 2025
  • Accepted 2 December 2025
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