Elastocaloric properties of Natural Rubber for Solid-State Cooling Technologies
type: CreativeWork
description: In recent years, the need to develop sustainable and energy efficient air-cooling technologies has become increasingly urgent due to the environmental and energy-related disadvantages of conventional vapour-compression air conditioning systems. Solid-state cooling technology, based on caloric effects, represents a promising alternative, with elastocaloric cooling identified as one of the most suitable candidates for replacing conventional air-cooling systems. In this framework, natural rubber (NR), a well-known renewable resource, is attracting increasing attention as an elastocaloric material, owing to its low cost, non-toxicity, long fatigue life, and remarkable elastocaloric properties, which arise from the synergistic contribution of thermoelasticity and strain-induced crystallization. Nevertheless, research on the refrigeration potential of natural rubber is still in its infancy, and not all parameters influencing the elastocaloric behaviour of this material are fully understood. In particular, most studies so far have focused primarily on the influence of testing parameters such as temperature, strain rate and maximum deformation. This thesis aimed at investigating the influence of rubber network structure and formulation on the elastocaloric properties of NR-based systems. Specifically, the influence of (i) the crosslinking density, and (ii) the addition of nanofillers was systematically analysed. In the first part, natural rubber samples with varying crosslinking densities (ranging from 2.9 to 5.2 10-4·mol/cm3) were prepared and characterized from a structural, thermal and mechanical point of view. Their elastocaloric properties were then thoroughly examined, revealing that crosslinking density is a crucial structural parameter governing cooling performance. The results showed that reducing the crosslinking density enhanced cooling capacity, primarily due to stronger contributions from strain-induced crystallization and thermoelasticity. In the second part, …
abstract: In recent years, the need to develop sustainable and energy efficient air-cooling technologies has become increasingly urgent due to the environmental and energy-related disadvantages of conventional vapour-compression air conditioning systems. Solid-state cooling technology, based on caloric effects, represents a promising alternative, with elastocaloric cooling identified as one of the most suitable candidates for replacing conventional air-cooling systems. In this framework, natural rubber (NR), a well-known renewable resource, is attracting increasing attention as an elastocaloric material, owing to its low cost, non-toxicity, long fatigue life, and remarkable elastocaloric properties, which arise from the synergistic contribution of thermoelasticity and strain-induced crystallization. Nevertheless, research on the refrigeration potential of natural rubber is still in its infancy, and not all parameters influencing the elastocaloric behaviour of this material are fully understood. In particular, most studies so far have focused primarily on the influence of testing parameters such as temperature, strain rate and maximum deformation. This thesis aimed at investigating the influence of rubber network structure and formulation on the elastocaloric properties of NR-based systems. Specifically, the influence of (i) the crosslinking density, and (ii) the addition of nanofillers was systematically analysed. In the first part, natural rubber samples with varying crosslinking densities (ranging from 2.9 to 5.2 10-4·mol/cm3) were prepared and characterized from a structural, thermal and mechanical point of view. Their elastocaloric properties were then thoroughly examined, revealing that crosslinking density is a crucial structural parameter governing cooling performance. The results showed that reducing the crosslinking density enhanced cooling capacity, primarily due to stronger contributions from strain-induced crystallization and thermoelasticity. In the second part, …
author: Bianchi, Marica
language: eng
date published: 2026-02-19
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:04:31Z
provider: Università degli Studi di Trento
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Università degli studi di Trento

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/11572/475150

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.15168/11572_475150