A team from the School of Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology successfully developed the world's first elastocaloric refrigeration device capable of reaching temperatures as low as -12°C in 2026.
This technology is based on shape memory alloys, utilizing the release and absorption of latent heat during phase transitions under cyclic stress to achieve refrigeration, resulting in "zero emissions" without the need for traditional refrigerants.
At an operating frequency of one hertz, the device achieved a temperature difference of 36°C, spanning from a room temperature heat sink of approximately 24°C to a cold source temperature of -12°C, marking the first time a cold source temperature below zero degrees Celsius has been recorded in the field of elastocaloric refrigeration. Under zero temperature difference conditions, the device's cooling power per unit mass can reach 1.43 watts per gram, with a maximum system efficiency of 3.4.
The research estimates that widespread application in the global refrigeration sector could potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 330 million tons of CO2 equivalent annually. The relevant research findings were published in the international journal *Nature* in 2026.
