Slovenian scientists develop clean cooling technology, replace toxic refrigerants

While traditional refrigerants rely on change of state from liquid to gas and visa versa to power cooling, solid materials like a nickel-titanium alloy only require mechanical stress to do so, offering a sustainable alternative.

Slovenian researchers are developing a new approach to cooling technology that offers a more sustainable way to stay cool in a warming world without relying on harmful refrigerants.

The vapor-compression technology used in most fridges and air conditioners is over a century old, relatively inefficient, and harmful to the environment. Although the most damaging refrigerants were banned in 1989, their replacements—hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)—were found to have greenhouse gas effects thousands of times greater than Carbon dioxide.