Scientists have enhanced thermogalvanic refrigeration, a cooling method that leverages electrochemical reactions.

By tweaking the solutes and solvents used in the electrolyte solution, the researchers were able to improve the hydrogalvanic cell’s cooling power. They used a hydrated iron salt containing perchlorate, which helped the iron ions dissolve and dissociate more freely compared to other previously tested iron-containing salts such as ferricyanide. By dissolving the iron salts in a solvent containing nitriles rather than pure water, the researchers were able to improve the hydrogalvanic cell’s cooling power by 70%.

The optimized system was able to cool the surrounding electrolyte by 1.42 K, which is a big improvement compared to the 0.1 K cooling capacity reported by previously published thermogalvanic systems.

Source: https://scitechdaily.com/refrigeration-hasnt-changed-in-70-years-this-breakthrough-is-changing-everything/