How will it work?

The electrocaloric effect is based on the principle that a certain material heats up when an electric field is applied to it. Once the electric field is removed, the material undergoes a phase transition, resulting in cooling.

This process has proven to be more efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly compared to common vapor compression schemes that use greenhouse refrigerants such as ammonia.

The prototype, detailed in the journal Science, consists of tiles made of a strong ceramic-like material. These tiles withstand multiple cooling and heating cycles. A liquid circulates between the tiles, which acts as a heat carrier and transfers heat from the cooled room to the outside.

In experimental tests, the prototype showed a temperature difference of 20.9 K at a maximum output power of 4.2 W.

Moving away from potentially harmful refrigerants and compressors could be an important step towards cleaner and more environmentally friendly air conditioning and refrigeration technologies, solving the long-standing environmental impact problem of these commonly used systems.