Solid State Cooling Based on Elastocaloric Effect in Latex Rubber

The elastocaloric effect (ECE) in latex rubber is experimentally investigated under periodic exposure to tensile force. ECE is measured as a function of elongation and frequency of cycles up to 4 Hz. It was found three ranges of the cycle frequencies in which the different thermodynamic processes were demonstrated: elastocaloric cooling, self-heating and decrease of ECE. The maximal measured value of ECE in latex rubber reached 14 K at relative deformation of the sample equal to 700% at frequencies from 0.1 Hz to 0.3 Hz. Also, the possibility of the practical use of latex rubber for elastocaloric based cooling is discussed.