Barocaloric materials are a class of materials in which pressure can induce solid-state phase transitions with latent heat release or absorption. An emergent barocaloric refrigeration technology has been established using barocaloric materials as the working substance and pressure as the driving force. Herein

we briefly review the fundamental thermodynamics of the barocaloric effect

barocaloric materials

and barocaloric refrigeration technology. In recent years

many barocaloric materials have been developed

including metals and inorganic

organic

and inorganic–organic hybrid materials. Organic plastic crystals have garnered worldwide attention owing to the discovery of the colossal barocaloric effect in these materials. The combination of greater entropy changes

smaller driving pressures

and lower costs renders these materials promising candidates for barocaloric refrigeration applications. However

barocaloric refrigeration technology has not been investigated extensively. The most critical issue in developing a prototype barocaloric refrigerator is to effectively couple the heat transfer with the pressurization/depressurization. Such coupling can be obtained by selecting a fluid with high thermal conductivity as the heat transfer and pressure conducting medium

adjusting the pressure and flow rate

and optimizing the geometry of the barocaloric materials embedded in the fluid. Additionally

based on a single-stage cooling system

an active barocaloric regenerative prototype refrigerator can be developed for continuous refrigeration applications.