Compressed ionic plastic crystals are cool

Abstract

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.

Peer Reviewed

Postprint (published version)