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Refrigeration Hasn’t Changed in 70 Years – This Breakthrough Is Changing Everything
Scitech Daily ^ | February 01,2025 | Cell Press

Posted on 02/01/2025 5:14:35 PM PST by Red Badger

A breakthrough in thermogalvanic refrigeration could make cooling cheaper and greener by optimizing electrochemical reactions, boosting efficiency, and expanding its practical use. (Prototype thermogalvanic refrigerator.) Credit: Yilin Zeng

Scientists have enhanced thermogalvanic refrigeration, a cooling method that leverages electrochemical reactions.

By refining the electrolyte composition, they improved efficiency dramatically, making it a promising, low-energy alternative for cooling applications, from wearable tech to industrial systems.

A Breakthrough in Cooling Technology

Scientists have introduced a promising new cooling technology that could be more efficient and environmentally friendly than traditional refrigeration. Published on January 30 in the Cell Press journal Joule, the study explores thermogalvanic refrigeration, which harnesses reversible electrochemical reactions to generate a cooling effect. This method requires significantly less energy than conventional cooling systems, making it both cost-effective and scalable for applications ranging from personal cooling devices to large-scale industrial use.

“Thermogalvanic technology is on its way to our lives, either in the form of clean electricity or low-power cooling, and both research and commercial communities should be paying attention,” says senior author Jiangjiang Duan of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China.

The Science Behind Thermogalvanic Cooling

Thermogalvanic cells typically convert heat into electrical power through reversible electrochemical reactions. By reversing this process—applying an external electrical current to drive these reactions—scientists can generate cooling. While previous research suggested limited cooling potential, Duan’s team significantly improved performance by refining the chemical composition of the system, unlocking new possibilities for practical applications.

“While previous studies mostly focus on original system design and numerical simulation, we report a rational and universal design strategy of thermogalvanic electrolytes, enabling a record-high cooling performance that is potentially available for practical application,” says Duan.

How Iron Ions Power the Cooling Effect

The cooling thermodynamic cells are based on electrochemical redox reactions involving dissolved iron ions. In one phase of the reaction, iron ions lose an electron and absorb heat (Fe3+ → Fe2+), and in the other phase, they gain an electron and release heat (Fe2+ → Fe3+). The power produced by the first reaction cools the surrounding electrolyte solution, and the heat produced by the first reaction is removed by a heat sink.

By tweaking the solutes and solvents used in the electrolyte solution, the researchers were able to improve the hydrogalvanic cell’s cooling power. They used a hydrated iron salt containing perchlorate, which helped the iron ions dissolve and dissociate more freely compared to other previously tested iron-containing salts such as ferricyanide. By dissolving the iron salts in a solvent containing nitriles rather than pure water, the researchers were able to improve the hydrogalvanic cell’s cooling power by 70%.

A Major Leap in Performance

The optimized system was able to cool the surrounding electrolyte by 1.42 K, which is a big improvement compared to the 0.1 K cooling capacity reported by previously published thermogalvanic systems.

Looking ahead, the team plans to continue optimizing their system’s design and is also investigating potential commercial applications.

“Though our advanced electrolyte is commercially viable, further efforts in the system-level design, scalability, and stability are required to promote the practical application of this technology,” says Duan. “In the future, we aim to continuously improve the thermogalvanic cooling performance by exploring novel mechanisms and advanced materials. We are also attempting to develop diverse refrigerator prototypes towards potential application scenarios and are seeking to collaborate with innovation companies to promote commercialization of thermogalvanic technologies.”

Reference: “Solvation entropy engineering of thermogalvanic electrolytes for efficient electrochemical refrigeration”

by Yilin Zeng, Boyang Yu, Ming Chen, Jinkai Zhang, Pei Liu, Jinhua Guo, Jun Wang, Guang Feng, Jun Zhou and Jiangjiang Duan, 30 January 2025, Joule.

DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.2025.101822

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the China National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Food; History; Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: cooling; coolingtechnology; refrigeration; thermogalvanic
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To: Red Badger
by Yilin Zeng, Boyang Yu, Ming Chen, Jinkai Zhang, Pei Liu, Jinhua Guo, Jun Wang, Guang Feng, Jun Zhou and Jiangjiang Duan

We are so screwed.

21 posted on 02/01/2025 6:36:31 PM PST by Lazamataz (The BEST birthday present I ever got WAS DONALD TRUMP WINNING IN 2024!!!)
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To: Rural_Michigan

A free bat with every purchase!


22 posted on 02/01/2025 6:39:08 PM PST by Lake Living
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To: al baby

I-ce what you did there.


23 posted on 02/01/2025 6:41:10 PM PST by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: Crazieman

...what a minute, that’s not even cold?


24 posted on 02/01/2025 7:03:02 PM PST by JJBookman (Democrats = Party of bad math)
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To: al baby

😆


25 posted on 02/01/2025 7:18:52 PM PST by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: Red Badger
Is there anything Brawndo can’t do?

It’s got electrolytes.

26 posted on 02/01/2025 7:50:25 PM PST by Deaf Smith (When a Texan takes his chances, chances will be taken that's for sure.)
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To: dfwgator

I rode in a taxi in HK where the driver didn’t want to use his lights at night so that he wouldn’t run his battery down.

I reported him to the taxi company.


27 posted on 02/01/2025 7:59:25 PM PST by Fai Mao ( The US government is run by pedophiles and Perverts for pedophiles and perverts.)
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To: fella

You nailed it. Maybe it will be powered with free electric from the E-Cat cold fusion generator.


28 posted on 02/01/2025 8:00:38 PM PST by RetiredTexasVet (Trump has arrived and it is awesome to have a real President.)
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To: dfwgator

Whether the refrigerant is ammonia, butane (like many small devices now), freon or some of the new freon substitutes the operation hasn’t changed. You might change the pressures and temperatures it operates at but it still works by compressing a gas into a liquid and then allowing that liquid to expand back into a cold gas.


29 posted on 02/01/2025 8:01:05 PM PST by KarlInOhio (“Forget it, Jake. It's California.”)
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To: Red Badger
I made a service call on a research sub. As part of my visit, I got a "nickel tour". One of the interesting features of the sub was the array of Peltier devices bonded "hot side" to the cold rolled steel hull. The cold side was an air plenum. Electrical power applied to the array made the plenum cold. It is a safer way to cool a sub. You can't use conventional fluorocarbon coolants because the turn into phosgene gas in a fire.
30 posted on 02/01/2025 9:37:14 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: Red Badger

Old Uncle Snerd was at the doctor one day. The doc said, “Well how’s it going?”
Snerd said “oh great when I get up to pee in the night I open the bathroom door and the good lord turns on the light for me!”
Aunt Snort said, “Oh jeez the old buggger is peeing in the refrigerator agaon!”


31 posted on 02/01/2025 10:33:39 PM PST by FrozenAssets (You don't have to be crazy to live here, but it helps)
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To: Red Badger

Yes, Peltier cells. They have been used for small portable refrigerators for decades. This is what the portable 12V plugin icechests use. Sounds like the old Peltier cells are actually more efficient than these are. They will get colder.


32 posted on 02/02/2025 1:33:18 AM PST by Openurmind
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To: Lazamataz
by Yilin Zeng, Boyang Yu, Ming Chen, Jinkai Zhang, Pei Liu, Jinhua Guo, Jun Wang, Guang Feng, Jun Zhou and Jiangjiang Duan
We are so screwed.

Yeah but I'll bet that they don't know any trans, lesbian, two spirited slam poets, nor do they know how many potential genders there are. So there is that. They probably got their degrees in something useless.

33 posted on 02/02/2025 4:44:17 AM PST by Colorado Doug (Now I know how the Indians felt to be sold out for a few beads and trinkets)
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To: Red Badger
"...They furnished off an apartment with a two room roebuck sale
The coolerator was crammed with TV dinners and ginger ale..."

Lyrics "YOU NEVER CAN TELL"

Bring back the coolerator!


34 posted on 02/02/2025 5:01:55 AM PST by Z28.310 (does not comply well with others)
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To: Red Badger
Well, she is blonde.....................

We already guessed that.

35 posted on 02/02/2025 11:51:59 AM PST by Rio
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To: Z28.310

Well if it’s acclaimed in Hollywood and on the TeeVee, why Martha and I need to get one of these gadgets, and fast.


36 posted on 02/02/2025 11:55:16 AM PST by SamAdams76
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To: SamAdams76

As a comic relief, I’ve enjoyed referring to it as a coolerator. I’d never heard the term until I looked into those lyrics. Oddly enough, everyone who hears me use the term laughs, but knows I’m actually referencing the refrigerator.

All in light humor


37 posted on 02/02/2025 12:05:31 PM PST by Z28.310 (does not comply well with others)
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