Samsung co-develops tech that can bring refrigerant-free refrigerators

Samsung has developed a new technology that can lead to new refrigerators and other cooling devices like air conditioners that don't need conventional refrigerants, which are often considered harmful for the environment. The South Korean firm has developed a newer-generation Peltier cooling technology, which has been published in the prestigious journal called Nature Communications.

This new-generation Peltier cooling technology offers better performance than the previous generation.

Today, Samsung announced that it has published its joint research paper titled ‘Nano-Engineered Thin-Film Thermoelectric Materials Enable Practical Solid-State Refrigeration' in collaboration with the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in the Nature Communications journal. This new technology uses the Peltier Effect, which causes one side of a semiconductor material to cool when electricity is applied to it.

Unlike conventional refrigerators that use refrigerants, Peltier devices use a semiconductor material for cooling. So, they are far less harmful for the environment than conventional refrigeration technologies.

While Peltier devices have existed earlier, their performance wasn't as effective as required for developing refrigerators and other cooling devices. Samsung Research’s Life Solution Team worked with Dr. Rama Venkatasubramanian’s thermoelectrics research team in APL's physics, electronic materials and devices research program to develop a newer-generation Peltier device that uses a cutting-edge nano-engineering technology to create a thin film.

It offers much better performance than earlier generations and makes it possible to develop high-performance refrigerators. It increases the efficiency by 75% and makes it possible to create lightweight and smaller devices. It also drastically improves the mass production process, as it requires just 1/1,000 of the Peltier material compared to the amount previously required, and simplifies the production.

This new technology offers faster and more precise temperature control, offering better performance, higher power efficiency, and simpler configuration. It can be used in newer generation automotive electronics, cooling devices, data centers, medical devices, and semiconductors.