A heat exchanger comprising at least two substrates made of electro-caloric and/or pyroelectric material and stacked one on the other so as to form between the at least two substrates and at least one channel for a fluid; at least two electrodes at two opposed ends of the at least two substrates; a housing enclosing the stack of the at least two substrates and the at least two electrodes, and provided with at least one fluid connecting port; wherein the housing is made of a heat shrinkable flexible tube that is shrunk onto the stack of the at least two electrodes and forming the at least one fluid connecting port.

The disclosure relates to a cryogen-free cooling apparatus for cooling a sample, comprising a vacuum chamber, a first cooling device which is configured to generate a first temperature in the vacuum chamber to provide a main thermal bath, a second cooling device, which is in connection with a sample stage on which a sample is to be arranged, wherein the second cooling device is a solid state cooler which is configured to provide a second temperature to the sample stage, and wherein the second temperature is different from the first temperature, and a sample loading device which is configured to change the sample while operating the first cooling device and the second cooling device, wherein the sample stage is held in the vacuum chamber by a plurality of first fibers of low thermal conductivity such that the sample stage is thermally decoupled from the main thermal bath.

The disclosure relates to a cryogen-free cooling apparatus for cooling a sample, comprising a vacuum chamber, a first cooling device which is configured to generate a first temperature in the vacuum chamber to provide a main thermal bath, a second cooling device, which is in connection with a sample stage on which a sample is to be arranged, wherein the second cooling device is a solid state cooler which is configured to provide a second temperature to the sample stage, and wherein the second temperature is different from the first temperature, and a sample loading device which is configured to change the sample while operating the first cooling device and the second cooling device, wherein the sample stage is held in the vacuum chamber by a plurality of first fibers of low thermal conductivity such that the sample stage is thermally decoupled from the main thermal bath.

The invention relates to an air conditioning apparatus including a first absorptive heat exchanger having sorption channels in at least one flow direction, a method for conditioning fluids, in particular for cooling and/or drying a stream of air, an adsorptive air-air cross-flow heat exchanger, and an outer wall element including an integrated air conditioning apparatus.

Provided are a refrigeration cycle device and a magnetic refrigeration device capable of suppressing an increase in device size, an increase in complexity, and an increase in cost. A magnetic refrigeration device includes a magnetocaloric material, first piping, second piping, a magnetic field generating unit, and a switching unit. The first piping supplies a refrigerant to the magnetocaloric material in a first refrigerant direction. The second piping supplies the refrigerant to the magnetocaloric material in a second refrigerant direction. The magnetic field generating unit is capable of applying a magnetic field to the magnetocaloric material. The switching unit switches between a first state and a second state in response to the magnetic field. In the first state, the refrigerant is supplied from the first piping to the magnetocaloric material. In the second state, the refrigerant is supplied from the second piping to the magnetocaloric material.

Provided are a refrigeration cycle device and a magnetic refrigeration device capable of suppressing an increase in device size, an increase in complexity, and an increase in cost. A magnetic refrigeration device includes a magnetocaloric material, first piping, second piping, a magnetic field generating unit, and a switching unit. The first piping supplies a refrigerant to the magnetocaloric material in a first refrigerant direction. The second piping supplies the refrigerant to the magnetocaloric material in a second refrigerant direction. The magnetic field generating unit is capable of applying a magnetic field to the magnetocaloric material. The switching unit switches between a first state and a second state in response to the magnetic field. In the first state, the refrigerant is supplied from the first piping to the magnetocaloric material. In the second state, the refrigerant is supplied from the second piping to the magnetocaloric material.

A method of making an electrocaloric element includes providing an electrocaloric material, forming a first electrode at a first surface of the electrocaloric material, and forming a second electrode at a second surface of the electrocaloric material. The forming of the first electrode includes, or the forming of the second electrode includes, or the forming of each of the first and second electrodes independently includes modifying the respective first and/or second surface of the electrocaloric material with an electrically conductive surface modification.

A method of making an electrocaloric element includes providing an electrocaloric material, forming a first electrode at a first surface of the electrocaloric material, and forming a second electrode at a second surface of the electrocaloric material. The forming of the first electrode includes, or the forming of the second electrode includes, or the forming of each of the first and second electrodes independently includes modifying the respective first and/or second surface of the electrocaloric material with an electrically conductive surface modification.

A device including a bottom electrode on a substrate and a top electrode on a substrate separated by a fixed distance from each other. Semi-insulator layers with proper electrical conductivity are attached to the bottom and top electrodes. Disposed between the substrates is a flexible S-shaped polymer stack having electrode layers with one end of the stack attached to the top substrate and the other end in contact with the bottom substrate. When a voltage is applied between the stack and the electrode layer on the bottom substrate, the stack is induced by electrostatic force to deflect in a rolling wave-like motion. While the voltage applied between the stack and bottom electrode is turned off, the static charges on the semi-insulator layer can move away quickly due to the proper electrical conductivity of the semi-insulator layer.

A solid state cooler device is disclosed that comprises a first normal metal pad, a first aluminum layer and a second aluminum layer disposed on the first normal metal pad and separated from one another by a gap, a first aluminum oxide layer formed on the first aluminum layer, and a second aluminum oxide layer formed on the second aluminum layer, and a first superconductor pad disposed on the first aluminum oxide layer and a second superconductor pad disposed on the second aluminum oxide layer. The device further comprises a first conductive pad coupled to the first superconductor pad, and a second conductive pad coupled to the second superconductor pad, wherein hot electrons are removed from the first normal metal pad when a bias voltage is applied between the first conductive pad and the second conductive pad.