Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory have found a way to cut down on summer cooling costs without harming the environment.

The scientists discovered a new class of materials which has the potential to make significant advances in the cooling power of materials currently used for magnetic refrigeration.

The new materials are made of a gadolinium-silicon-germanium alloy.

“When placed in a magnetic field the new compound has the ability to heat up considerably more than the standard materials used in magnetic refrigeration and cool down much more when taken out of the magnetic field,” said Karl Gschneidner, senior scientist at the Ames Laboratory and professor in materials science and engineering at ISU.

The new compound also has a large temperature range. It can be tuned from about -400 F to about 65 F by changing the silicon-to-germanium ratio.

The more germanium that is added, the cooler the temperature becomes.

“There are very few systems that will give you that temperature span — it’s unheard of,” Gschneidner said.

The new materials also make magnetic refrigeration more environmentally safe than conventional gas refrigeration.

The conventional refrigerators use heat transfer mechanisms that deplete the ozone by emitting toxic chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) into the air.

The new compound can use water or other benign gases as a heat transfer mechanism, Gschneidner said.

Gschneidner also said that the new materials make magnetic refrigeration less costly than conventional refrigeration.

“Our rough estimates suggest that you will save enough money in energy costs to pay you back in five years,” Gschneidner said.