https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191128172345.htm

Cooling technology, used in refrigeration and HVAC systems around the globe, is a multi-billion dollar business. Vapor compression cooling, which has dominated the market for over 150 years, has not only plateaued where efficiency is concerned, but also uses chemical refrigerants with high global-warming potential (GWP). Solid-state elastocaloric cooling, where stress is applied to materials to release and absorb (latent) heat, has been under development for the last decade and is a front-runner in the so-called alternative cooling technologies. Shape-memory alloys (SMAs) are found to display a significant elastocaloric cooling effect; however, presence of hysteresis -- work lost in each cycle and cause of materials fatigue and eventual failure -- remains a challenge.

To that end, an international team of collaborators led by UMD A. James Clark School of Engineering Professor Ichiro Takeuchi has developed an improved elastocaloric cooling material using a blend of nickel and titanium metals, forged using a 3D printer, that is not only potentially more efficient than current technology, but is completely 'green.' Moreover, it can be quickly scaled up for use in larger devices.