The New Cool: LSU Physicist Discovers New Material Set to Change Cooling Industry.
BATON ROUGE, La.—A team of researchers has discovered a new material that they say could revolutionize the refrigeration and air-conditioning industries. The Louisiana State University (LSU) physicists’ research focused on magnetic cooling technologies, which are reportedly simpler in design, quieter and more environmentally friendly than conventional compressed-gas systems. A magnetic field magnetically orders the material at ambient temperature, raising its temperature above ambient. The excess heat is removed through a thermal medium, such as water or air, which brings the material back to ambient temperature. When the magnetic field is removed, the material becomes magnetically disordered and its temperature drops below ambient temperature, creating a cooling effect. According to lead researcher Shane Stadler, Ph.D., this “solid state” cooling process is much more energy-efficient than conventional compressed gas systems. “[We] were fortunate to discover a system in which a magnetic transition coincided in temperature with a structural transition,” said Stadler. “That this magnetostructural transition occurs near room temperature is what makes it a strong candidate for magnetocaloric cooling devices of the future.” LSU and local entrepreneurs are looking at ways to commercialize the discovery.
