Recent improvements in nano technology allow cooling to take half the energy, lessen environmental impact and replace old refrigeration units.

Researchers at the Laboratory of Applied Physics at Johns Hopkins University have developed a new approach to cooling using nano technology. Using their solid-state nanofilms, known as CHESS, their cooling system achieves double the efficiency of other thermoelectric systems.

Cooling systems that use compressor-based technology are useful, but they take up space, use a lot of energy and use environmentally dangerous substances. Instead of relying on free space, the new nano technology uses ultrathin films to boost heat transfer over semiconductor materials.

Before, making thermoelectric materials perform better was blocked because the materials had to be large. Using nano technology, the researchers built nanofilms that help the material cool up to 100% better than usual, when tested at room temperature.

The CHESS equipment increases overall efficiency by 75% in refrigeration modules and has an up to 70% improvement in cooled spaces. Remarkably, a refrigeration unit just needs a tiny amount of material, a bit more than a grain of sand.

As with lithium-ion batteries, this nano technology from chemical vapor deposition gives the potential to build energy-efficient systems for homes or large systems for building ventilation.

Additionally, CHESS-based devices can turn temperature differences into energy which may open doors for generating energy in electronics and for space-based applications. It demonstrates how greatly nano technology is improving sustainable and energy-efficient cooling.