Elastocaloric and Solid-State Cooling Materials: A Review on Emerging Refrigeration Technologies

Abstract

Conventional vapor compression refrigeration systems are widely used but they consume high energy and use refrigerants that are harmful for environment. In recent years, researchers are focusing on solid-state cooling technologies which can replace traditional refrigeration methods. Among different solidstate cooling approaches, elastocaloric effect is gaining more attention due to its high efficiency and eco-friendly nature. Elastocaloric materials show temperature change when mechanical stress is applied and removed. Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs), especially Ni-Ti based alloys, are widely studied for this purpose. This paper reviews the fundamentals of elastocaloric effect, working principles, important materials, performance parameters, advantages, limitations and recent developments in this field. Different materials such as SMAs, natural rubber, and polymers are discussed. Comparison with other solid-state cooling methods like magnetocaloric and electrocaloric cooling is
also presented. Challenges and future scope of elastocaloric cooling systems are highlighted.

KEYWORDS: Elastocaloric effect, Solid-state cooling, Shape Memory Alloys, NiTi, Refrigeration, Eco-friendly cooling