Heat transfer and thermal energy storage
Adsorption-based thermodynamic cycles transform low-grade waste heat (60–150 °C) into useful cooling or heating — a key enabler for industrial decarbonisation.
Materials and cycles
- Type-II isotherms: water and methanol adsorption in aluminium-based MOFs (MIL-53-Al, CAU-10) optimised for heat-pump cycles
- Thermal stability: robust frameworks retaining performance after 1 000 adsorption/desorption cycles
- Composite beds: MOF + expanded graphite composites achieving effective thermal conductivity of 3 W/(m·K)
Applications
- Waste-heat-driven solar cooling in building HVAC
- Adsorption chillers for data-centre heat recovery
- Thermochemical batteries for seasonal energy storage
Benchmark
Our best material delivers a specific cooling power of 1 800 W/kg — 2.4× the benchmark silica gel used in commercial adsorption chillers.