Additively Manufactured High-Performance Elastocaloric Materials with Long Fatigue Life

Elastocaloric cooling, which exploits superelastic transitions of shape memory alloys to pump heat, has recently emerged as a frontrunner in alternative cooling technologies. Despite its intrinsic high efficiency, elastocaloric materials exhibit hysteresis associated with input work, a common attribute of caloric cooling materials. In this study, the authors created a Ni-Ti-based elastocaloric material by additive manufacturing nanocomposite materials using a laser directed-energy- deposition system. The material exhibited exceptional stability and unusual operational efficiency derived from the unique and intricate nanocomposite structures made by additive manufacturing. This demonstration shows the potential for using additive manufacturing to optimize caloric cooling by providing a highly desirable topology flexibility into materials components that serve as both refrigerants and heat exchangers.