Scientists have created a cooler using the ionocaloric cooling principle. This was reported by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Phase transition in a material is associated with energy flows. When a solid object melts, it takes energy from the environment, and when it solidifies, it releases it. This is true even where the phase transition is caused by chemical or mechanical changes rather than by heating or freezing the body.
The new coolant works on the ionocaloric principle. Salt is the heart of the appliance. The current passing through the system raises the melting point of the material by moving the ions. During melting, the material takes heat from the environment and returns the heat when the ions are removed and the material solidifies. The first experiment was able to cool the material down to 25 degrees Celsius using a voltage of less than one volt. This is much more efficient than using similar technologies. The authors of the development are trying to balance three things: environmental safety of the refrigerant, energy efficiency and the cost of the equipment.
“The use of refrigerants is an unsolved problem: No one has been able to develop an alternative solution that cools objects, works efficiently, safely, and does not harm the environment,” the scientists say. “We think the ionocaloric cycle can achieve all of these goals if implemented correctly.”
Now scientists are considering how to effectively use the heat generated by this method – for example, to heat water or in industrial processes. Currently, the authors of the technology have managed to obtain a limited patent for the ionocaloric cooling cycle.