  An applied electric field can reversibly change the temperature of an
electrocaloric material under adiabatic conditions, and the effect is strongest
near phase transitions. This phenomenon has been largely ignored because only
small effects (0.003 K V^-1) have been seen in bulk samples such as
Pb0.99Nb0.02(Zr0.75Sn0.20Ti0.05)0.98O3 and there is no consensus on macroscopic
models. Here we demonstrate a giant electrocaloric effect (0.48 K V^-1) in 300
nm sol-gel PbZr0.95Ti0.05O3 films near the ferroelectric Curie temperature of
222oC. We also discuss a solid state device concept for electrical
refrigeration that has the capacity to outperform Peltier or magnetocaloric
coolers. Our results resolve the controversy surrounding macroscopic models of
the electrocaloric effect and may inspire ab initio calculations of
electrocaloric parameters and thus a targeted search for new materials.
