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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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Cooling Without Water or Electricity: Scientists Develop a Smart Film That Could Keep Electronic Devices 18.2°C Cooler

An innovative, flexible cooling material uses moisture from the air to reduce heat, offering a promising solution for AI data centers, smartphones, and electric vehicle batteries.

As artificial intelligence (AI), smartphones, and electric vehicles become increasingly important in everyday life, managing the heat generated by electronic devices has become a major challenge. Powerful computers require efficient cooling to operate safely, while batteries and mobile devices must control their temperature to maintain performance and reliability. However, traditional cooling systems often consume significant amounts of electricity and water.

Now, researchers in South Korea have developed a promising alternative: a flexible film that uses moisture from the air to cool electronic devices without requiring an external water supply or electricity to power the cooling process.

The research team, led by Professor Seong Kyun Kim from the Department of Physics and Chemistry at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), developed a special material that absorbs moisture from the surrounding air and releases it as heat builds up. In tests, the film reduced a device's surface temperature by as much as 18.2°C, offering a potential new approach to energy-efficient thermal management.

The findings were published in the scientific journal Small Structures in 2026.

Why Electronic Devices Need Better Cooling

Modern electronic devices generate heat as they process information or store and deliver energy. If this heat is not managed properly, it can reduce performance, shorten component lifespans, and create safety concerns.

AI data centers are a particularly important example. These facilities contain thousands of processors that perform complex calculations around the clock. As demand for AI services increases, data centers require more powerful computing equipment and increasingly effective cooling systems.

Traditional cooling methods commonly rely on fans, pumps, and circulating liquids. Although these systems can remove heat effectively, they require electricity and, in many cases, water. Their supporting equipment also increases maintenance requirements and operating costs.

Similar challenges affect smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicle (EV) batteries. These devices have limited space for cooling equipment, making it difficult to remove heat efficiently without adding weight, complexity, or energy consumption.

Scientists are therefore exploring passive cooling technologies that can manage heat without relying on continuously powered mechanical systems.

A New Cooling Film Inspired by Moisture in the Air

The DGIST research team developed its material by combining two key ingredients: nanocellulose and organic ionic molecules.

Nanocellulose is a material derived from cellulose, the natural substance found in plant cell walls. It is known for its ability to interact with and retain moisture. The researchers combined it with organic ionic molecules that have strong moisture-absorbing properties, creating a flexible, adhesive film.

The combination allows the film to absorb and store water molecules from the surrounding air. When an electronic device becomes hot during operation, the stored moisture can evaporate, carrying heat away from the device's surface.

This process is known as evaporative cooling. It works on the principle that evaporation requires energy, which is taken in the form of heat from the surrounding material. As moisture evaporates, the surface loses heat and becomes cooler.

Unlike conventional cooling systems, the film does not need a pump to circulate water or a fan to drive the cooling process. It uses moisture already present in the environment.

Importantly, the material is designed to work even in relatively dry surroundings, where it can absorb and retain substantial amounts of airborne moisture.

Flexible, Adhesive, and Resistant to Corrosion

One of the biggest challenges with existing moisture-absorbing cooling materials is their physical structure. Many conventional hygroscopic materials are rigid crystalline solids, which can make it difficult to attach them securely to electronic components.

Poor contact between a cooling material and a device can leave small gaps that reduce heat transfer. Moisture may also contribute to corrosion, potentially damaging sensitive electronic components.

The new film aims to address these problems.

According to the research team, it remains flexible and strongly adhesive even when completely dry. This allows it to fit closely against different surfaces, including metals, semiconductors, and glass.

Its ability to maintain firm contact is important because efficient cooling depends not only on the material itself but also on how effectively it interacts with the device being cooled.

Another key feature is its reported noncorrosive behaviour despite containing moisture. This could allow the film to be applied directly to electronic surfaces without requiring an additional protective coating.

Together, its flexibility, adhesion, and resistance to corrosion could make the material easier to integrate into practical electronic systems.

Temperature Drops by 18.2°C for More Than 12 Hours

The researchers tested the film under conditions involving continuous electronic device operation to assess its cooling performance.

During testing, the device's surface temperature fell from 72.3°C to 54.1°C, representing a maximum reduction of 18.2°C. The cooling effect continued for more than 12 hours.

This result suggests that the film can provide sustained temperature control under the tested conditions rather than producing only a brief cooling effect.

The finding is particularly relevant for devices that operate for extended periods, such as data center processors and battery systems.

However, the reported temperature reduction should be understood in the context of the researchers' experimental setup. Performance in commercial devices may vary depending on humidity, heat output, device design, and the amount of moisture available for evaporation.

Further testing will be needed to determine how well the film performs across different operating environments and over repeated cycles of moisture absorption and evaporation.

Potential Applications in AI, Smartphones, and Electric Vehicles

The technology could have several important applications if further research confirms its performance at commercial scales.

AI data centers: The film could potentially supplement existing cooling systems, helping reduce surface temperatures and possibly lowering the energy required for thermal management. Even small efficiency improvements can matter in facilities that operate continuously.

Smartphones and laptops: Its thin, flexible structure could make it suitable for compact electronic devices where conventional cooling hardware is difficult to install. Better heat management may help maintain performance during demanding tasks.

Electric vehicle batteries: Batteries generate heat during charging, discharging, and fast charging. A passive cooling material could potentially help manage surface temperatures without adding another continuously powered cooling component. However, battery packs have demanding safety and thermal-control requirements, so extensive validation would be necessary.

The material's potential environmental benefits also deserve attention. By using bio-based ingredients and moisture from the surrounding air, it offers an alternative approach to conventional cooling technologies. Its actual environmental impact, however, will depend on manufacturing methods, durability, and end-of-life disposal.

A Promising Step Toward Sustainable Cooling

Professor Seong Kyun Kim said the study goes beyond developing an environmentally friendly material. It also addresses several longstanding limitations of passive cooling technologies, including corrosion, limited flexibility, and weak adhesion.

The research highlights how materials science can offer new ways to solve the growing problem of electronic heat management. Rather than depending entirely on energy-intensive cooling equipment, future devices could incorporate materials that help regulate temperature through naturally occurring physical processes.

Nevertheless, the technology is still a research development, and its laboratory performance does not yet establish how much electricity or water it could save in real-world applications. Questions about long-term durability, performance under changing humidity, manufacturing costs, and integration with existing cooling systems will need to be answered.

If these challenges can be overcome, the film could become a useful addition to the technologies designed to make computing, transportation, and consumer electronics more energy-efficient.

In a world increasingly dependent on powerful electronics, the future of cooling may not always require more electricity or more water. Sometimes, it may begin with a thin film that puts the moisture in the air to work.

Research Reference

Hyeondo Kim et al., “All Bio-Based Noncorrosive Hygroscopic Hydrogel Enables Passive Cooling of Electronic Devices,” Small Structures (2026). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.70622

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