Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The World Economic Forum (WEF) has published its Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2024.It is the 12th edition of the list, which aims to predict technologies that will make a positive impact on the world in the next three-to-five years.The technologies cover applications in sustainability, health, infrastructure and communications.The report draws on the expertise of more than 300 academics from the WEF's Global Future Councils and Frontiers' global network of chief editors.The rankings also consider academic literature, funding trends and patent filings.At number seven on the list are elastocaloric heat pumps, centred on materials that emit heat when subjected to mechanical stress and cool down when the stress is relaxed -in essence, heat systems that work like muscles.The technology could enhance access to cooling in regions with limited or no grid access, as they do not require traditional refrigeration.According to the WEF, research and development in the field is advancing, with the rate of scientific publications doubling every 22 months.Patent applications have also surged, coming from the automotive sector and cooling industries.Elastocaloric heat pumps will require materials that can endure millions of cycles of stretching and relaxing.Scientists and engineers globally are experimenting with different metal alloys and manufacturing techniques.Researchers note that the scaling of elastocaloric cooling will require increased collaboration between industry and academia to overcome the multidisciplinary challengesfrom material research to engineering practice and eventually to commercialisation (Communications Engineering,
Source: Chemistry & Industry
DOI: 10.1002/cind.10302
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4400412642