KIT and Tsukuba develop heat-driven solid-state cooling

KIT and the University of Tsukuba have announced a world-first heat-driven elastocaloric cooling system that uses shape-memory films to convert heat into mechanical work and then into cold.

• The prototype achieved a 4°C temperature difference at an actuator temperature of 86°C, while the refrigerant showed nearly 13°C of temperature change.
• The setup was tested with an external heat source of 130°C and the study was published in Nature Energy under DOI 10.1038/s41560-026-02122-6; funding came from the Carl Zeiss Foundation, Baden-Württemberg Foundation, and Hector Fellow Academy.