Giant barocaloric effect in commercial polyurethane

• Main Authors: Jean Rodrigo Bocca, Silvia L. Favaro, Cleber S. Alves, Alexandre M.G. Carvalho, Jader R. Barbosa, Jr., Andressa dos Santos, Flávio C. Colman, Wagner A. dos S. Conceição, Christian Caglioni, Eduardo Radovanovic
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-08-01
• Series: Polymer Testing
• Subjects: Barocaloric; Polyurethane; Mechanocaloric; Solid-state cooling; Refrigeration
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142941821002014

Barocaloric effect in polymers is barely recognized and limited to a few reports in the literature. This effect consists of a thermal response of the material when a hydrostatic pressure is applied, allowing its application in the field of solid-state cooling. In this study, the barocaloric effect was investigated for a commercial polyurethane rubber (PU) subjected to three heat treatment temperatures (60, 100, and 115 °C) for 16 h to assess the limiting condition for this application. PU presents giant barocaloric effect, reaching adiabatic temperature change between 13 and 15 °C at a maximum pressure variation of 218 MPa, obtained under direct measurement, reaching a normalized refrigerant capacity of 11.07 kJ kg−1 GPa−1 (ΔTh-c = 25 °C, Δp = 174 MPa). Using the obtained data, it was possible to propose a quadratic model to predict the value of the adiabatic temperature variation as a function of the temperature and pressure applied in the PU. The PU characterization included differential scanning calorimetry and mechanical properties. The results obtained indicate a promising research field for the barocaloric effect in rubber polyurethanes.