Today's Tech News: Notable or Not?

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-05-uk-lab-air-con-revolution.html "soft, waxy solid plastic crystal refrigerant's temperature varies >90°F under pressure, unleakable... more energy efficient... substance used by chemical industry, relatively easy to obtain... proprietary crystal's molecules spin on own axis, when squeezed, that movement stops and the energy is dissipated in the form of heat. When released, the substance cools using barocaloric effect... potentially as efficient as gas, if not more so... prototype large suitcase size...   up to 75% reduced emissions... commercial within 3 years" Related: The UCO paves the way toward more sustainable air conditioning based on water evaporation https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1113817

https://phys.org/news/2025-04-hybrid-surface-combines-hydrophobic-nanowires.html#google_vignette "guides water droplets off surface, preventing accumulation hamperiding heat transfer... surface sustains dropwise condensation for high heat transfer/ controlled filmwise condensation in confined regions to guide drainage, enabling stablity across a wide temperature range... surface with narrowest microchannels (named N100) achieved the best performance... stable and high heat transfer coefficient of 38.3 kW/m2·K at a subcooling of 16 K—216% higher... heat exchangers, air conditioners, desalination units." Related: Tapping a new toolbox, engineers buck tradition in high-performing heat exchanger https://techxplore.com/news/2025-05-toolbox-buck-tradition-high-exchanger.html From brine to fresh: bio-inspired solar evaporator achieves zero liquid discharge https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1086462 MIT Scientists Unleash High-Flow Solar Desalinator Flooding Communities With Ga...

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-04-smarter-cooling-technology-tackles-climate.html "recyclable nitinol nickel-titanium alloy phase transforms while remaining solid, instead of from liquid to gas and back again... elastocaloric cooling: heats up with mechanical stress, cools when relieved... nitinol wires biocompatible... so far only 15% (could reach up to 70%) efficient, while vapor compression 20-30%... nitinol wires degrade (fatigue) quickly when stretched repeatedly to induce phase change, overcome compressing instead of stretching, reducing physical stress for practically unlimited lifespan... >30°C range" Related:  TCCI Manufacturing and TekModo Unveil Breakthrough HVAC Technology Eliminating Rooftop Units with Off-Grid Sustainable Climate Systems https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-wire-news-releases-pmn/tcci-manufacturing-and-tekmodo-unveil-breakthrough-hvac-technology-eliminating-rooftop-units-with-off-grid-sustainable-climate-systems Blue Frontier air conditio...

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1076554 "stabilizes indoor temperatures at 21-22°C in 15 minutes... shape memory alloy elastocaloric effect maximum cooling power 260W, not meeting KW-scale requirement due to difficulty balancing specific refrigerant cooling power with the total active mass; and insufficient heat transfer efficiency during high-frequency operation... overcome using shape memory alloy in series/ fluid in parallel multi-cell, serially connecting 10 elastocaloric cooling units along force application direction, improving heat exchange" Related: Hannover Messe: Smart materials, sustainable cooling and heating solutions for homes, cars and industry https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1077186 Solid-State Cooling: A Potentially Greener Refrigeration Alternative https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/power/article/55306612/electronic-design-solid-state-cooling-a-potentially-greener-refrigeration-alternative High-energy-density barocaloric material...

https://techxplore.com/news/2023-11-electrocaloric-efficient-conventional-air-conditioners.html "fluid-based... laid lead scandium tantalate strips atop one another, then in silicone oil selected for heat-carrying properties, then heating with electricity pushing fluid in one direction, and then pushing it the other way when it cools down—the region of difference, they found, was approximately 20°C. To use the device as a heater or an air conditioner, oil is circulated through the system. Testing showed the device capable of reaching 64% of Carnot's efficiency—the theoretical limit of devices using such technology"

https://www.energy.gov/technologytransitions/articles/doe-and-montana-technologies-announce-breakthrough-hvac-and-water "Breakthrough in HVAC and water harvesting technology... lowest energy consumption per liter of water removed from the air... commercialize and scale, making available to HVAC OEMs, patented MOFs and coating processes in partnership with BASF... commercial HVAC accounts for 20% of power consumption worldwide"  Related: Metal-organic frameworks study unravels mechanism for capturing water from air https://phys.org/news/2024-01-metal-frameworks-unravels-mechanism-capturing.html WC-100 Waterrcube, 120+ gallons/day https://genesissystems.com/wc-100-watercube/ Bioinspired hydrogel pattern enhances atmospheric water harvesting via directional droplet steering https://phys.org/news/2024-01-bioinspired-hydrogel-pattern-atmospheric-harvesting.html Device placed outside homes in areas with excess heat produces drinkable water with no additional effort https://www.thec...

https://www.popsci.com/technology/quantum-computer-heat-window-glass/ "machine learning and quantum computing teamed up to test models within fractions of a second, parsing through virtually ever possible mixture and material combination to find the best one. The result is a 1.2 micron-thick layering of silica, alumina, and titanium oxide upon a glass base that is then coated with the same polymer used in contact lenses. The new combination subsequently outperformed ever other heat-reduction glass coating currently available" Related: Researchers develop biodegradable, biorecyclable glass https://phys.org/news/2023-03-biodegradable-biorecyclable-glass.html

https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2022/august/a-more-environmentally-friendly-air-conditioner.html "metal tube packed with solid refrigerant and inert water or oil... hydraulic piston applies pressure to liquid... liquid helps transfer pressure to refrigerant and carry heat... barocaloric materials... functional refrigerants, turning pressure changes into temperature-changing cycles... doesn’t use pressures as low as commercial refrigeration systems... first working cooling system using solid-state refrigerants that rely on pressure changes" Related: New breakthrough in zero energy technology keeps things cool with no electricity required https://thedebrief.org/new-breakthrough-in-zero-energy-technology-keeps-things-cool-with-no-electricity-required/ Elastocaloric cooling system opens door to climate-friendly AC https://phys.org/news/2023-06-elastocaloric-cooling-door-climate-friendly-ac.html HKUST Researchers Enhance Performance of Eco-Friendly Coolin...