Related papers: Enhanced reversible barocaloric effect at low pres…
Sustainable solid-state refrigerants based on barocaloric materials are often limited by thermal hysteresis associated with supercooling effects. Here, we present imaging methods to investigate and compare thermal behaviour and transition…
Barocalorics (BCs) are emerging as promising alternatives to vapour-phase refrigerants, which are problematic as they exacerbate climate change when they inevitably leak into the atmosphere. However, the commercialisation of BC refrigerants…
There is currently great interest in replacing the harmful volatile hydrofluorocarbon fluids used in refrigeration and air-conditioning with solid materials that display magnetocaloric, electrocaloric or mechanocaloric effects. However, the…
In recent years, orientationally disordered crystals, or plastic crystals, have transformed the field of solid-state cooling due to the significant latent heat and entropy changes associated with their temperature induced molecular…
Solid-state refrigeration technology based on caloric effects are promising to replace the currently used vapor compression cycles. However, their application is restricted due to limited performances of caloric materials. Here, we have…
Solid-state refrigeration based on caloric effects is an energetically efficient and environmentally friendly technology, which is deemed as a potential alternative to the conventional vapor-compression technology. One of the greatest…
Elastomers have shown to be promising barocaloric materials, being suitable candidates for solid-state cooling devices. Moreover, this family of polymers presents additional advantages, such as their low cost and long fatigue life. In this…
Solid-state methods for cooling and heating promise a more sustainable alternative to current compression cycles of greenhouse gases and inefficient fuel-burning heaters. Barocaloric effects (BCE) driven by hydrostatic pressure ($p$) are…
Due to its high energy efficiency and environmental friendliness, solid-state cooling based on the barocaloric (BC) effect represents a promising alternative to traditional refrigeration technologies relying on greenhouse gases. Plastic…
Current vapor-compression technology is based on the gas-liquid transition of hazardous gas. The alternative cooling technology focuses on the solid caloric material. A new liquid barocaloric material, i.e. the liquid crystal, is proved to…
Grain boundary (GB) enthalpies in nanocrystalline (NC) $\mathrm {Pd_{90}Au_{10}}$ are studied after preparation, thermal relaxation and plastic deformation. By comparing results from atomistic computer simulations and calorimetry, we show…
The urge for efficient and environmentally friendly alternatives for the current gas-based refrigeration is becoming more critical due to global warming and overpopulation. Among the main candidates, solid-state-based cooling technology is…
High-entropy order-disorder phase transitions can be used for efficient and eco-friendly barocaloric solid-state cooling. Here the barocaloric effect is reported in an archetypal plastic crystal, adamantane. Adamantane has a colossal…
We present a minimal Landau theory of plastic-to-crystal phase transitions in which the key components are a multipole-moment order parameter that describes the orientational ordering of the constituent molecules, coupling between such…
Traditional refrigeration technologies based on compression cycles of greenhouse gases pose serious threats to the environment and cannot be downscaled to electronic device dimensions. Solid-state cooling exploits the thermal response of…
Phase change material based thermal energy storage has many current and potential applications in the heating and cooling of buildings, battery and electronics thermal management, thermal textiles, and dry cooling of power plants. However,…
The unique properties of plastic crystals highlight their potential for use in solid-state refrigeration. However, their practical applications are limited by thermal hysteresis due to low thermal conductivity. In this study, the effect of…
We combine small angle scattering experiments and simulations to investigate the internal structure and interactions of composite Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-Poly(ethylene glycol) (PNIPAM-PEG) microgels. At low temperatures the…
Solid state-refrigerants have generated worldwide interest owing to their growing potential for use in efficient and green cooling devices. Caloric effects could be obtained by manipulating their degrees of freedom such as magnetization,…
The ring opening polymerization of cyclic butylene terephthalate into poly (butylene terephthalate) (pCBT) in the presence of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) is an effective method for the preparation of polymer nanocomposites. The inclusion…