MSE Seminar – Dr. Guoan ZHOU (12 March 2026)
12 Mar 2026 (Thu) | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
MSE Seminar – Dr. Guoan ZHOU (12 March 2026)
| Title: | Elastocaloric Alloys for Sustainable Freezing |
| Speaker: | Dr. Guoan ZHOU Research Assistant Professor Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Hong Kong University of Science and Technology |
| Date: | 12 March 2026 (Thursday) |
| Time: | 10:30 am |
| Venue: | Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy, 6/F, Mong Man Wai Building |
| Abstract: | Dr. Zhou’s research addresses the critical challenge of achieving energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable refrigeration using solid-state elastocaloric cooling technology. This talk will explore recent advancements in high-performance elastocaloric systems capable of sub-zero Celsius freezing, meeting essential needs in food preservation and pharmaceutical storage. Dr. Zhou will present his work on multi-material cascade architectures that overcome the limitations of single-material devices, achieving temperature spans over 75 K and coefficient-of-performance values up to 7.1. The presentation will detail a systematic approach to identifying and characterizing low-transition-temperature shape memory alloys, including nickel-rich NiTi alloys with tailored austenite finish temperatures, and their integration into functionally graded regenerators. Key findings include achieving kilowatt-scale cooling power and sub-zero Celsius freezing. Dr. Zhou will also discuss ongoing efforts to extend these capabilities to -50 ℃ through advanced multi-material cascade designs, focusing on materials selection, thermodynamic optimization, and system-level performance tuning. These advancements position elastocaloric cooling as a viable zero-global-warming-potential alternative to conventional vapor compression refrigeration. |
| Enquiries: | mse@cityu.edu.hk |