News
September 15, 2025
What if Your Refrigerator Was Twice As Efficient and Completely Silent?
APL’s CHESS thin films nearly double refrigeration efficiency. The scalable materials could transform cooling and energy-harvesting technologies. Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, have created a new solid-state thermoelectric refrigeration system that is simple to manufacture and twice as efficient as devices built with standard bulk thermoelectric materials. As [...]
Imagine a future where your refrigerator hums no more, yet chills your groceries with twice the efficiency. Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, are bringing that vision closer to reality with their groundbreaking development of CHESS thin films. These innovative materials promise to revolutionize cooling technology, offering a pathway to refrigerators that are not only significantly more energy-efficient but also completely silent.
The team at APL has engineered a solid-state thermoelectric refrigeration system leveraging these CHESS, or Chemically Homogenized and Engineered Superlattice Structures, thin films. This system represents a major leap forward, boasting twice the efficiency of comparable devices constructed with traditional bulk thermoelectric materials. This means that a refrigerator utilizing this technology could use significantly less electricity, translating to lower energy bills for consumers and a reduced carbon footprint for the planet.
What makes this advancement particularly exciting is the potential for scalability. The materials and manufacturing processes involved are designed to be readily adaptable for mass production. This opens doors for the widespread adoption of this technology across various cooling applications, extending far beyond just refrigerators.
But the implications of CHESS thin films reach beyond mere cooling. The underlying principle of thermoelectricity – the direct conversion of temperature differences into electrical energy and vice versa – also lends itself to energy harvesting. Imagine capturing waste heat from industrial processes or even the sun's rays and converting it into usable electricity. CHESS thin films could pave the way for highly efficient and sustainable energy harvesting solutions.
The APL team's work represents a significant step towards a future where cooling and energy generation are more efficient, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. While the technology is still under development, the potential impact of CHESS thin films on our daily lives and the global energy landscape is undeniable. The prospect of quieter, more efficient refrigerators, alongside innovative energy harvesting technologies, is a compelling vision that APL's research is bringing closer to fruition.
The team at APL has engineered a solid-state thermoelectric refrigeration system leveraging these CHESS, or Chemically Homogenized and Engineered Superlattice Structures, thin films. This system represents a major leap forward, boasting twice the efficiency of comparable devices constructed with traditional bulk thermoelectric materials. This means that a refrigerator utilizing this technology could use significantly less electricity, translating to lower energy bills for consumers and a reduced carbon footprint for the planet.
What makes this advancement particularly exciting is the potential for scalability. The materials and manufacturing processes involved are designed to be readily adaptable for mass production. This opens doors for the widespread adoption of this technology across various cooling applications, extending far beyond just refrigerators.
But the implications of CHESS thin films reach beyond mere cooling. The underlying principle of thermoelectricity – the direct conversion of temperature differences into electrical energy and vice versa – also lends itself to energy harvesting. Imagine capturing waste heat from industrial processes or even the sun's rays and converting it into usable electricity. CHESS thin films could pave the way for highly efficient and sustainable energy harvesting solutions.
The APL team's work represents a significant step towards a future where cooling and energy generation are more efficient, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. While the technology is still under development, the potential impact of CHESS thin films on our daily lives and the global energy landscape is undeniable. The prospect of quieter, more efficient refrigerators, alongside innovative energy harvesting technologies, is a compelling vision that APL's research is bringing closer to fruition.
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Technology