A promising replacement for the toxic and flammable greenhouse gases that are used in most refrigerators and air conditioners has been identified by researchers from the University of Cambridge.
A promising replacement for the toxic and flammable greenhouse gases that are used in most refrigerators and air conditioners has been identified by researchers from the University of Cambridge.
The device is based on layers of a material composed of oxygen and three metallic elements known as PST, and it displays the largest electrocaloric effects – changes in temperature when an electric field is applied – yet observed in a body large enough for cooling applications.
The results, reported in the journal Nature, could be used in the development of highly-efficient solid-state refrigerators and air conditioners, without the need for bulky and expensive magnets.
“When facing a challenge as big as climate change and reducing carbon emissions to net zero, we tend to focus on how we generate energy – and rightly so – but it’s critical that we’re also looking at the consumption of energy,” said co-author Dr Xavier Moya from Cambridge’s Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy.
Read more at: University of Cambridge
