Magnetocaloric materials for energy efficient cooling

TLDR

Solid‑state magnetic cooling near room temperature is emerging as a more energy‑efficient alternative to vapor compression, driving rapid growth in magnetocaloric materials research, yet significant deployment challenges remain. The review highlights future development trends in materials for solid‑state cooling. It focuses on fundamentally and technologically relevant aspects of cooling with magnetocaloric materials. A critical evaluation of magnetic refrigerants and progress in improving their performance is provided.

Abstract

Solid-state magnetic cooling near room temperature has recently gained a prominent position among alternative cooling technologies that are deemed to have higher energy efficiency compared to vapour compression. This prospect has surged a rapid growth of the area of magnetocaloric materials. Although several breakthroughs were achieved, the extensive study revealed a number of challenges in the effective deployment of the magnetic refrigerants. This review focuses on fundamentally and technologically relevant aspects of the cooling with magnetocaloric materials. A critical evaluation of magnetic refrigerants and progress made in improvement of their performance is provided. Future development trends in the field of materials for the solid state cooling are highlighted.