Materials for Energy & Sustainability
DMaterials for Clean and Efficient Cooling — Barocaloric, Elastocaloric, Electrocaloric, Magnetocaloric Effects
This symposium will bring together state-of-the-art experimental and theoretical contributions in the field of solid-state caloric cooling and heating technologies: Magnetocaloric, electrocaloric, mechanocaloric and multicaloric materials and devices, with new and improved solid refrigerants and designs presented to the community.
Scope:
More than five billion vapour-compression devices—relying on potent greenhouse HFCs—account for roughly 8% of global CO₂-equivalent emissions while consuming 20% of worldwide electricity, often inefficiently. With these figures rising relentlessly and stricter HFC regulations emerging globally, developing sustainable cooling and heating technologies has become a pressing scientific and engineering priority. Initiatives like the EU’s “Clean and Efficient Cooling” Pathfinder Challenge, aligned with the European Green Deal, reflect this urgency. A US Department of Energy report highlights solid-state caloric materials as among the most promising alternatives. While commercial viability remains elusive, advancements in performance metrics, research output, patents, and startup activity signal growing momentum toward commercialisation.
This Symposium will showcase cutting-edge developments in solid-state calorics ‑ magnetocaloric, electrocaloric, mechanocaloric, and multicaloric materials and devices ‑ presenting innovative refrigerants and designs to the scientific community. Contributions will include experimental and theoretical studies on caloric materials, such as:
- Magnetocaloric alloys undergoing first- or second-order transitions, for cryogenic or room-temperature applications;
- Lead-free electrocaloric ceramics, relaxor materials, and highly responsive polymers;
- Fatigue-resistant shape-memory alloys and polymers for elastocaloric systems;
- Barocaloric materials with reversible responses at reduced pressures.
Discussions will span synthetic chemistry, condensed matter physics, and applied engineering, from atomic-scale phenomena to macroscale implementations. Device designs—incorporating passive/active regeneration, cascade modes, or work recovery—alongside optimised material geometries for heat exchange, will also feature. Additional thermal applications of caloric materials (e.g., thermal storage, waste heat recovery, or power generation) may be explored.
Hot topics to be covered by the symposium:
- Magnetocaloric, electrocaloric, elastocaloric, barocaloric, and multicaloric materials/devices: Advances in experiments, theory, and modelling
- Thermal management innovations
- Materials: Alloys, ceramics, polymers, hybrids, and composites
- Theoretical, modelling, and simulation breakthroughs
- Novel measurement and characterisation methods
- Device development and applications
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