With solids, cooling is achieved by changing the materialmicroscopic structure.NPGmolecules, composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, are nearly spherical and interact with each other only weakly.For decades, these caloric effects have fallen behind the thermal changes available in fluids, but the discovery of colossal barocaloric effects in a plastic crystal of neopentylglycol (NPG) and other related organic compounds has levelled the playfield.
Thatimportant because refrigeration and air conditioning currently devour a fifth of the energy produced worldwide, and demand for cooling is only going up," said Dr Xavier Moya, a researcher.The word ‘plastic’ in ‘plastic crystals’ refers not to its chemical composition but rather to its malleability. end-of Tags: eco-friendly, refrigerator, ac, plastic crystal, research, neopentylglycol.