A new refrigeration method for refrigerators. Free Technical Library News

NEWS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, NOVELTY IN ELECTRONICS
Free technical library / timeline

New refrigeration method for refrigerators

09.01.2023

Scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have created a cooler using the principle of ionocaloric cooling.

A phase transition in a material is associated with energy flows. When a solid body melts, it absorbs energy from the environment, and when it solidifies, it releases it. This remains true even when the phase change is caused by chemical or mechanical changes rather than by heating or freezing the body.

The new refrigerant works on the ionocalloric principle. Salt is at the base of the device. The current passing through the system moves the ions, raising the melting point of the material. When melted, the material absorbs heat from the environment, and when the ions are removed and hardens, it gives off heat back. The first experiment was able to cool the material by 25 degrees Celsius using a voltage of less than one volt. This is much more efficient than using similar technologies. The authors of the development are trying to balance three things: the environmental safety of the refrigerant, energy efficiency and equipment cost.

“The use of refrigerants is an unsolved problem: no one has been able to develop an alternative solution that cools things, works efficiently, safely and does not harm the environment,” the scientists noted. “We think that the ionocaloric cycle can achieve all these goals if it is done correctly implement".

Scientists are thinking about how to effectively use the heat obtained by this method - for example, to heat water or in industrial processes. Now the authors of the technology have managed to obtain a limited patent for the ionocaloric refrigeration cycle.

<< Back: Coworking spaces can negatively impact creativity 09.01.2023

>> Forward: The evolution of sleep 08.01.2023

Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:

The existence of an entropy rule for quantum entanglement has been proven 09.05.2024

Quantum mechanics continues to amaze us with its mysterious phenomena and unexpected discoveries. Recently, Bartosz Regula from the RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing and Ludovico Lamy from the University of Amsterdam presented a new discovery that concerns quantum entanglement and its relation to entropy. Quantum entanglement plays an important role in modern quantum information science and technology. However, the complexity of its structure makes understanding and managing it challenging. Regulus and Lamy's discovery shows that quantum entanglement follows an entropy rule similar to that for classical systems. This discovery opens new perspectives in the field of quantum information science and technology, deepening our understanding of quantum entanglement and its connection to thermodynamics. The results of the study indicate the possibility of reversibility of entanglement transformations, which could greatly simplify their use in various quantum technologies. Opening a new rule ... >>

Mini air conditioner Sony Reon Pocket 5 09.05.2024

Summer is a time for relaxation and travel, but often the heat can turn this time into an unbearable torment. Meet a new product from Sony - the Reon Pocket 5 mini-air conditioner, which promises to make summer more comfortable for its users. Sony has introduced a unique device - the Reon Pocket 5 mini-conditioner, which provides body cooling on hot days. With it, users can enjoy coolness anytime, anywhere by simply wearing it around their neck. This mini air conditioner is equipped with automatic adjustment of operating modes, as well as temperature and humidity sensors. Thanks to innovative technologies, Reon Pocket 5 adjusts its operation depending on the user's activity and environmental conditions. Users can easily adjust the temperature using a dedicated mobile app connected via Bluetooth. Additionally, specially designed T-shirts and shorts are available for convenience, to which a mini air conditioner can be attached. The device can oh ... >>

Energy from space for Starship 08.05.2024

Producing solar energy in space is becoming more feasible with the advent of new technologies and the development of space programs. The head of the startup Virtus Solis shared his vision of using SpaceX's Starship to create orbital power plants capable of powering the Earth. Startup Virtus Solis has unveiled an ambitious project to create orbital power plants using SpaceX's Starship. This idea could significantly change the field of solar energy production, making it more accessible and cheaper. The core of the startup's plan is to reduce the cost of launching satellites into space using Starship. This technological breakthrough is expected to make solar energy production in space more competitive with traditional energy sources. Virtual Solis plans to build large photovoltaic panels in orbit, using Starship to deliver the necessary equipment. However, one of the key challenges ... >>

New method for creating powerful batteries 08.05.2024

With the development of technology and the expanding use of electronics, the issue of creating efficient and safe energy sources is becoming increasingly urgent. Researchers at the University of Queensland have unveiled a new approach to creating high-power zinc-based batteries that could change the landscape of the energy industry. One of the main problems with traditional water-based rechargeable batteries was their low voltage, which limited their use in modern devices. But thanks to a new method developed by scientists, this drawback has been successfully overcome. As part of their research, scientists turned to a special organic compound - catechol. It turned out to be an important component that can improve battery stability and increase its efficiency. This approach has led to a significant increase in the voltage of zinc-ion batteries, making them more competitive. According to scientists, such batteries have several advantages. They have b ... >>

Alcohol content of warm beer 07.05.2024

Beer, as one of the most common alcoholic drinks, has its own unique taste, which can change depending on the temperature of consumption. A new study by an international team of scientists has found that beer temperature has a significant impact on the perception of alcoholic taste. The study, led by materials scientist Lei Jiang, found that at different temperatures, ethanol and water molecules form different types of clusters, which affects the perception of alcoholic taste. At low temperatures, more pyramid-like clusters form, which reduces the pungency of the "ethanol" taste and makes the drink taste less alcoholic. On the contrary, as the temperature increases, the clusters become more chain-like, resulting in a more pronounced alcoholic taste. This explains why the taste of some alcoholic drinks, such as baijiu, can change depending on temperature. The data obtained opens up new prospects for beverage manufacturers, ... >>

Random news from the Archive

rose transistor 01.12.2015

A living organism, in which its own cell tissues are supplemented with artificial materials, which half consists of wires and microcircuits, is a common character in science fiction films and books. And despite advances in prosthetics, despite advances in neuroscience trying to bridge the gap between electronics and the brain, it still seems that such bionic beings, if they do occur, will be in the very distant future. However, researchers from the University of Linköping Magnus Berggren and colleagues report that they have managed to grow a cyborg rose that can change the color of the leaves with an electrical signal.

The initial idea that arose in Berggren's laboratory almost 15 years ago was to "eavesdrop" on the biochemical processes occurring in the plant and, if possible, learn to control them. Here, of course, we can recall genetic engineering, which allows you to interfere with the genetic program of the body, turn on or off certain genes, achieving the desired physiological effect at the right time. The successes of genetic engineering can hardly be overestimated, and they are especially great just with plants that are easier to work with and whose genome can withstand quite strong shakes. However, in Sweden, the prospects for genetically modified plants - if we talk about their practical application in agriculture - are much more modest than, for example, in the United States. So the researchers thought about what could be an alternative to genetic engineering methods, and as a result they decided to create not a genetically modified, but an electronic plant.

The task was to supply the plant organism with wires, so to speak, without surgery, so that they would form themselves right on the spot. To do this, it was necessary to find a polymer that would, firstly, be biocompatible, secondly, would dissolve in water, and thirdly, would allow recording what is happening inside the plant and sending signals inside it. From the solution, monomer molecules would rise through the plant vessels and polymerize in them, forming the very wires that would run through the entire plant, from roots to leaves. More than twelve organic substances were tried, but everything ended either with a blockage of the root system, or the molecules, once in the rose, were not assembled into conductive structures. In the end, the authors of the work settled on PEDOT-S:H, a water-soluble organic compound that is used in printed electronics.

Rising through the vascular system of the plant, the PEDOT-S:H molecules lost a hydrogen atom, and due to the released sulfur atom, they formed polymer chains 10 cm long. Using gold electrodes connected to a rose, it was possible to show that the plant works like a transistor, and that performance is quite comparable to that of a simple transistor assembled only from polymer molecules. In another experiment, the leaves of live, uncut roses were impregnated with a PEDOT solution with cellulose nanofibers using a vacuum setup - as a result, the researchers were able to change the color of the leaves (not the petals!) In the blue-green range by applying current of different voltages. (It is also worth emphasizing that here the organic electronics were formed not from the roots through the stem, but directly in the leaf.) The results of the experiments are published in Science Advances.

The designers of the "cyborg rose" themselves believe that their experiments will serve as the basis for further research, and that in the future, with the help of such organic wires, it will be possible to regulate the hormonal background in agricultural crops, stimulating growth, fertility, etc. Of course, one can ask a question how such an operation affects the plant itself, and whether it will die prematurely due to the presence of organic electronics in itself.

However, according to Magnus Berggren, the experimental plants with which they experimented with changing the color of the leaves are still alive, and the leaves are still with them. And yet, one cannot discount the opinion of skeptics who believe that we are “only” an outstanding work of art that has no practical prospects, and, one way or another, such electronic plants have yet to prove their advantages over genetically modified ones.

See full Archive of science and technology news, new electronics

All languages of this page

Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews