Compressed ionic plastic crystals are cool
Traditional vapor compressors for residential and industrial cooling create a vicious cycle: Cooling contributes to global warming, which then demands more cooling. These systems are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions because of their limited efficiency and direct leaks of harmful hydrofluor...
| Autores: | , |
|---|---|
| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/439021 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/439021 https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.adu3670 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Plastic crystals Cristalls plàstics Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria dels materials |
| Sumario: | Traditional vapor compressors for residential and industrial cooling create a vicious cycle: Cooling contributes to global warming, which then demands more cooling. These systems are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions because of their limited efficiency and direct leaks of harmful hydrofluorocarbons from billions of appliances worldwide (1). Solid-state cooling systems are emerging alternatives that provide more sustainable solutions. They use either the thermoelectric effect to convert electric energy to temperature difference or the caloric effect, which allows reversible temperature changes in response to external stimuli. However, existing solid-state cooling systems are limited by the lack of proper materials. On page 56 of this issue, Piper et al. (2) describe a family of organic ionic plastic crystals that exhibit a pressure-driven caloric effect. This potentially large group of materials could provide energy-efficient cooling at low temperatures suitable for residential and industrial applications. |
|---|