Title
Fatigue-resistant high-performance elastocaloric materials made by additive manufacturing
Publication Date
11-29-2019
Department
Ames Laboratory; Aerospace Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Materials Science and Engineering
Campus Units
Ames Laboratory, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering
OSTI ID+
1577117
Report Number
IS-J-10073; IS-J-10102
DOI
10.1126/science.aax7616
Journal Title
Science
Volume Number
366
Issue Number
6469
First Page
1116
Last Page
1121
Abstract
Elastocaloric cooling, a solid-state cooling technology, exploits the latent heat released and absorbed by stress-induced phase transformations. Hysteresis associated with transformation, however, is detrimental to efficient energy conversion and functional durability. We have created thermodynamically efficient, low-hysteresis elastocaloric cooling materials by means of additive manufacturing of nickel-titanium. The use of a localized molten environment and near-eutectic mixing of elemental powders has led to the formation of nanocomposite microstructures composed of a nickel-rich intermetallic compound interspersed among a binary alloy matrix. The microstructure allowed extremely small hysteresis in quasi-linear stress-strain behaviors—enhancing the materials efficiency by a factor of four to seven—and repeatable elastocaloric performance over 1 million cycles. Implementing additive manufacturing to elastocaloric cooling materials enables distinct microstructure control of high-performance metallic refrigerants with long fatigue life.
DOE Contract Number(s)
CMMI-1454668; AC02-07CH11358; AR0000131; AC02-06CH11357
Language
en
Department of Energy Subject Categories
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
Publisher
Iowa State University Digital Repository, Ames IA (United States)