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Crystals
Special Issues
Applications of Crystalline Materials in Elastocaloric Devices
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Applications of Crystalline Materials in Elastocaloric Devices

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials for Energy Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 1212

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Claudia Masselli

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Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Piazzale Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Interests: solid-state cooling and heat pumping; magnetocaloric; elastocaloric; electrocaloric; barocaloric; renewable energy; earth to air heat exchangers; ground source heat pump; vapor compression; phase change materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Adriana Greco

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Piazzale Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Interests: elastocalorics; solid-state cooling and heat pumping; magnetocaloric; elastocaloric; electrocaloric; barocaloric; renewable energy; earth to air heat exchangers; ground source heat pump; vapor compression; phase change materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Luca Cirillo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Interests: elastocaloric models; solid-state cooling and heat pumping; magnetocaloric; elastocaloric; electrocaloric; barocaloric; renewable energy; earth to air heat exchangers; ground source heat pump; vapor compression; phase change materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Solid-state devices based on crystalline materials with elastocaloric effects represent an emerging field focused on exploiting the elastocaloric effect for cooling and air conditioning applications. The elastocaloric effect is a physical phenomenon detected in crystalline materials, such shape memory alloys, whereby a temperature change occurs as a consequence of loading/unloading cycles through a mechanical field under adiabatic conditions. The purpose of this Special Issue is to present papers demonstrating advancements in research on crystalline elastocaloric materials and their contributions to the establishment of elastocaloric technology. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, advancements in the development of crystalline materials and devices for air conditioning; the preparation, testing, and characterization of crystalline materials; and the application of crystalline materials in actuators and driving components.

Dr. Claudia Masselli
Prof. Dr. Adriana Greco
Dr. Luca Cirillo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Crystals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • elastocaloric
  • shape memory alloys
  • austenite–martensite transformations
  • solid-state cooling
  • solid-state heat pumping

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 4770 KB  
Article
Microstructural Evolution and Precipitate Control in Boron-Doped Ni-Mn-Ti Shape Memory Alloys via Thermal Processing
by Na Liu, Marcia Ahn, Subrata Ghosh, Dipika Mandal, Bed Poudel and Wenjie Li
Crystals 2026, 16(3), 211; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16030211 - 20 Mar 2026
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Abstract
Elastocaloric cooling, which leverages stress-induced phase transformation in shape memory materials, represents a sustainable and energy-efficient alternative to conventional vapor-compression cooling systems. Central to optimizing these materials is understanding how thermal processing history dictates phase formation, microstructure, and thermal properties. In this study, [...] Read more.
Elastocaloric cooling, which leverages stress-induced phase transformation in shape memory materials, represents a sustainable and energy-efficient alternative to conventional vapor-compression cooling systems. Central to optimizing these materials is understanding how thermal processing history dictates phase formation, microstructure, and thermal properties. In this study, we investigated the (Ni50Mn31.5Ti18)99.8B0.2 compound synthesized via vacuum induction melting and arc melting, followed by water quenching. Induction melting results in needle-like, boron-rich precipitates within the martensite lattice. In contrast, vacuum arc melting promoted precipitate growth at the grain boundaries. The vacuum arc melting sample exhibits ~82% martensite phase fraction, a near-ambient transformation temperature of ~277 K, a large transition entropy change of ~75 J·kg−1·K−1, and moderate thermal hysteresis of ~24 K. These results underscore the pivotal role of thermal history in tailoring phase stability and transformation thermodynamics, providing essential design guidelines for subsequent mechanical performance optimization in elastocaloric shape memory alloys for energy-efficient and sustainable thermal management applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Crystalline Materials in Elastocaloric Devices)
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22 pages, 3566 KB  
Article
Numerical Investigation of Thermal Diode-Based Elastocaloric Heat Pump Working with Different Crystalline Refrigerants and Thermoelectric Switches
by Luca Cirillo, Vincenzo Orabona, Lucrezia Verneau, Sabrina Gargiulo, Claudia Masselli and Adriana Greco
Crystals 2026, 16(2), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst16020153 - 22 Feb 2026
Viewed by 460
Abstract
Elastocaloric cooling is an emerging solid-state refrigeration technology that leverages the latent heat exchange of shape memory alloys under mechanical stress. This study investigates the energy performance of a solid-to-solid elastocaloric cooling heat pump to enhance heat transfer efficiency and overall system performance. [...] Read more.
Elastocaloric cooling is an emerging solid-state refrigeration technology that leverages the latent heat exchange of shape memory alloys under mechanical stress. This study investigates the energy performance of a solid-to-solid elastocaloric cooling heat pump to enhance heat transfer efficiency and overall system performance. A Matlab-based numerical model, developed using the finite volume method, was employed to simulate the system. The energy performances of the elastocaloric heat pump are analyzed by varying the frequency of the cycle, the elastocaloric refrigerants, and the types of thermal diodes, from ideal up to realistic Peltier switches. The results demonstrate that the strategic use of thermal diodes significantly improves heat flow directionality, reducing thermal losses and enhancing the efficiency of the elastocaloric cooling process with a system that employs a realistic Peltier thermal diode, guaranteeing specific cooling powers up to 6500 W kg−1. The maximum COPs of the system with ideal thermal diodes range from 60 to 10. These findings contribute to the development of more efficient solid-state cooling technologies, offering a viable alternative to conventional systems, especially for electronic circuit cooling applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Crystalline Materials in Elastocaloric Devices)
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