Pyrochlore oxides - a class of advanced dielectric materials - represent a promising next-generation approach to efficient energy storage. Their structural flexibility and tunable chemical composition make them prime candidates for dielectric energy storage applications.
In a new study, a team of researchers from Republic of Korea and the USA, led by Professor Chang Kyu Jeong from the Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, the Department of Energy Storage/Conversion Engineering of Graduate School (BK21 FOUR) & Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research Center, and the Department of JBNU-KIST Industry-Academia Convergence Research, all at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU), has comprehensively reviewed the latest advances made in the field of pyrochlore oxides.
Their insightful findings were made available online on 16 October 2025 and have been published as an invited review paper in Volume 39 of the representative physics and materials journal, Current Opinion in Solid State and Materials Science , on 1 December 2025. This research achievement is the result of a joint effort between JBNU and the Korea Institute of Materials Science.
Prof. Jeong, a representative researcher in the field of dielectric materials, highlights the entropy-driven design strategy in pyrochlore oxides. "In these exciting materials, high-entropy and defect engineering enable the simultaneous achievement of ultra-high energy density, high breakdown strength, and exceptional thermal stability."
The review also highlights that there is a clear performance contrast between bulk ceramics and thin-film pyrochlores, making them suitable for different purposes. Notably, pyrochlore-based dielectrics have strong potential for real-life applications where high-power density, thermal stability, and long-term reliability are critical. In particular, they are well suited for multilayer ceramic capacitors, or MLCCs, used in automotive electronics, electric vehicles, and power inverters, where stable capacitance over wide temperature ranges of up to X9R/X9P standards is required. Their high breakdown strength and low dielectric loss also make them attractive for high-frequency and pulsed-power applications, such as DC-link capacitors, power conditioning circuits, and ultra-fast discharge systems.
Furthermore, thin-film pyrochlore dielectrics enable miniaturized, high-energy-density capacitors for aerospace electronics, 5G/6G communication systems, medical implants, and compact IoT devices, where size reduction and operational reliability under harsh environments are essential.
In the longer term, this research can provide a pathway toward more reliable, compact, and thermally robust energy storage components, which are foundational to nearly all modern electronics. Over the next 5–10 years, advances in pyrochlore-based dielectrics could enable smaller and more durable capacitors that operate safely under high temperatures, high voltages, and rapid charge–discharge conditions. This, in turn, would directly impact electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and power electronics, improving efficiency, reliability, and lifetime while reducing cooling and maintenance requirements. In everyday life, such improvements could translate into longer-lasting consumer electronics, safer medical implants, and more dependable communication and sensing systems.
"Lastly, the entropy-driven design concepts introduced in our work offer a general materials-design framework that can be extended beyond capacitors to other functional materials, accelerating the development of next-generation electronic components and contributing to more energy-efficient and sustainable technologies," concludes Prof. Jeong.
Overall, the present review highlights the potential of pyrochlore oxides as transformative materials for next-generation capacitor technologies.
Reference
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cossms.2025.101240
About Jeonbuk National University
Founded in 1947, Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) is a leading Korean flagship university.Located in Jeonju, a city where tradition lives on, the campus embodies an open academic community that harmonizes Korean heritage with a spirit of innovation.Declaring the "On AI Era," JBNU is at the forefront of digital transformationthrough AI-driven education, research, and administration.JBNU leads the Physical AI Demonstration Project valued at around $1 billion and spearheads national innovation initiatives such as RISE (Regional Innovation for Startup and Education) and the Glocal University 30, advancing as a global hub of AI innovation.
Website: https://www.jbnu.ac.kr/en/index.do
About the author
Prof. Chang Kyu Jeong is currently a professor (full, tenured) in Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Korea. He was born in Seoul and received his B.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) from Hanyang University. He holds his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the Department of MSE, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Before the current affiliation, he was employed as a postdoctoral scholar in The Pennsylvania State University. His research topics are energy and sensor device applications using ferroelectric, piezoelectric, and dielectric materials. He was also a visiting professor of University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, in 2024. His h-index and citations are 56 and over 12,500, respectively (Feb 2026 currently). He also serves as the editor-in-chief of Journal Electrical and Electronic Materials, the associate editor of Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society as well as the editorial boards of npj Flexible Electronics and Nano Trends.
