Physicists at the University of Zurich in Switzerland say they have devised a trial device capable of "converting boiling water into ice without using any energy" and without violating the laws of thermodynamics.
Although their discovery appears to be a "thermodynamic magic," researchers said it was possible to achieve these results without breaking any of the fundamental laws of the universe.
Although the second law of thermodynamics says that heat can move from a warmer object to a colder body, not the other way around, thanks to a common device in small hotel refrigerators known as the Peltier element, the Swiss team first showed that an object could be cooled at a much lower temperature Of room temperature without external power.
The Peltier component is a component that converts electrical currents to temperature variations, and can then create a heat current that flows from hot to cold and constantly replicates.
In the experiment, scientists have been able to use this "thermodynamic circuit" to make the heat temporarily flow from the coldest object, making it still cooler.
The researchers said the use of a more specialized device may have a greater impact, and will be the ideal Peltier theoretically able to achieve degrees of up to 47 degrees Celsius below zero. "With this very simple technique, large amounts of solids, liquids or hot gases can be cooled to temperatures well below room temperature without any energy consumption," they said.
They said that harnessing this constantly fluctuating current could be a system that would always allow for constant cooling without any external energy, although this would depend on the next generation of Peltier and superconducting materials to reduce lost power during delivery.