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| An image showing two columns of stacked ice cubes |
For decades, the simple act of keeping things cool has come with a scorching environmental price tag. The refrigeration and air conditioning units that are the backbone of our modern world—from food preservation to data center operation—are also significant drivers of climate change. They account for a staggering portion of global electricity consumption and are responsible for nearly 8% of worldwide carbon emissions. But a groundbreaking discovery, published in the journal Nature, may have just rewritten the future of cooling.
A research team led by Prof. Li Bing at the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has unveiled a novel method that promises to break the longstanding trade-off between cooling power, efficiency, and environmental impact. Their work, detailed in a study published on January 22, 2026, introduces the "dissolution barocaloric effect," a principle that could pave the way for commercial, zero-emission refrigeration.
For years, scientists have explored solid-state caloric materials as a greener alternative to traditional vapor-compression systems, which rely on refrigerants with high global warming potential. While these solids avoid harmful emissions, they come with a fatal flaw: they are inefficient at transferring heat, creating a bottleneck that prevents large-scale use. Prof. Li's team has ingeniously solved this problem by turning the solid into a liquid.
"We have unified the refrigerant and the heat-transfer medium into a single, pumpable fluid," the researchers explain in their Nature paper. "This allows us to combine the thermal benefits of solid-state cooling with the rapid heat transfer capabilities of liquids."
How It Works: The Magic of Dissolving Salt
The system uses a simple solution of ammonium thiocyanate (NH4SCN) salt and water. The cooling cycle is elegantly straightforward:
- Pressurization: When pressure is applied to the solution, solid salt precipitates out, releasing heat into the environment.
- Depressurization: When the pressure is released, the salt rapidly dissolves back into the water. This process absorbs a massive amount of heat from its surroundings, causing the temperature to plummet.
The results are dramatic. In experiments at room temperature, the fluid's temperature dropped by nearly 30 degrees Celsius in just 20 seconds. At higher temperatures, the cooling span reached an astonishing 54 Kelvins. Simulations of a four-step prototype cycle showed an energy efficiency approaching 77% and a cooling capacity of 67 joules per gram, demonstrating significant potential for real-world engineering.
A Global Context for a Cooler Future
This breakthrough arrives at a critical moment. According to a 2025 report from the UN Environment Programme, global cooling demand is projected to more than triple by 2050 compared to 2022 levels. Without intervention, this surge could double cooling-related greenhouse gas emissions, creating a vicious cycle where the demand for cooling drives the very warming that necessitates it.
The challenge is particularly acute in countries like China. As highlighted in a complementary study in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, China's rapidly expanding cooling sector is a major factor in national emissions. The research notes that widely used vapor-compression cooling already accounts for nearly 15% of China's electricity consumption. While policy measures like the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol are driving a phase-down of high-global-warming-potential refrigerants, the new dissolution-based technology offers a path to eliminate direct emissions entirely.
Beyond the Lab: Cooling AI's Thirst for Power
The implications of this new technology extend far beyond household air conditioners. Its exceptional high-temperature performance makes it particularly suited for managing the intense thermal loads of next-generation infrastructure, such as artificial intelligence computing centers. These facilities generate enormous amounts of heat, and current cooling solutions consume vast quantities of energy. A highly efficient, zero-emission cooling system could be a game-changer for the sustainability of the AI revolution.
The study not only provides a novel refrigeration principle but also lays a critical scientific foundation for the next generation of cooling technologies. By solving the "impossible triangle" of high capacity, efficient heat transfer, and zero emissions, Prof. Li Bing's team has brought a truly sustainable, cool future a giant step closer.
Source(s):
- Nature via China Daily
- The original research: Nature
- Context on global emissions: npj Climate and Atmospheric Science