Alternative refrigeration technologies

We focus on developing new, alternative technologies rooted in solid-state physics, with a particular emphasis on ferroic cooling. Within this field, our primary efforts are directed toward the development and optimization of magnetocaloric, electrocaloric, and elastocaloric cooling devices. In this domain, our engineering research laboratory is recognized as one of the leading groups worldwide.

One of our flagship projects is the development of a magnetocaloric wine cooler, in collaboration with the Slovenian home appliance manufacturer Gorenje. A key advantage of this prototype over current state-of-the-art systems is the use of a fully static, rare-earth-free magnetic field source with magnetic energy recovery — a technology we developed in-house and reported in the high-impact journal Applied Energy.

In 2015, we published a comprehensive book titled Magnetocaloric Energy Conversion: From Theory to Applications with the international publisher Springer. This work is among the first dedicated to the field of magnetocalorics and remains a key reference in the area.