Barocal says it has raised $10 million in seed funding to commercialize cooling systems that use pressure-responsive solid materials instead of conventional refrigerant gases.
The Cambridge, UK, company was founded in 2019 by Xavier Moya, a professor of materials physics at the University of Cambridge. Barocal named World Fund, Breakthrough Energy Discovery, Cambridge Enterprise Ventures and IP Group as investors in the round.
In its May 4, 2026, announcement, Barocal said the funding would support technology development and expansion of its engineering team ahead of commercial deployment. The company is initially targeting commercial cooling applications.
Earlier support includes approximately €2.45 million from the European Innovation Council Accelerator and a $1 million TERA-Award prize in 2025.
How pressure drives the cooling cycle
Conventional vapor-compression refrigerators and air conditioners circulate a refrigerant that absorbs heat as it evaporates and releases heat as it condenses. Barocal instead uses plastic crystals, solid materials whose molecules can reorient within a crystal structure.
Applying pressure changes the molecular arrangement and causes the material to release heat. Removing pressure allows it to absorb heat. This response is known as the barocaloric effect. These materials are called plastic crystals because of their malleability.
Barocal describes using water to carry heat from the solid material to a radiator, where it is released. The cooling cycle still requires a mechanism to apply and release pressure, as well as equipment to transfer heat.
The material was reported in May 2025 to undergo temperature changes of more than 50 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) under pressure. That figure describes a material response, rather than a confirmed operating range for a finished cooling unit.
Replacing gaseous refrigerants would avoid leakage of those substances from the cooling cycle. Some older refrigerants damage the ozone layer, while many hydrofluorocarbons are potent greenhouse gases. Barocal also aims to reduce the electricity used for cooling.
From research to working prototypes
In 2019, Moya and collaborators documented large pressure-driven thermal changes near room temperature in plastic crystals of neopentylglycol. Those measurements concerned the material, rather than the performance of a complete commercial cooling system.
Barocal says its Generation 2 refrigerator prototype cooled bottled drinks during a demonstration at the Calorics 2024 conference at the University of Cambridge.
In May 2025, Barocal materials engineer Mohsen Elabbadi said the prototype had not yet been optimized for mass, size or noise.
Barocal’s European Innovation Council project description says its prototype has a coefficient of performance comparable to conventional vapor-compression units. That measure compares useful cooling output with energy input; it is distinct from a material’s temperature change.
Commercial cooling is the initial target
Barocal is pursuing large commercial heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems and refrigeration.
In May 2025, commercial director Florian Schabus said Barocal hoped to launch its first product within three years. He identified shopping centers, warehouses, schools and data centers as initial applications. That timetable was a development target set in 2025, rather than a confirmed launch schedule.
The company’s European Innovation Council project description outlines collaborations with equipment manufacturers and planned real-world demonstrations to gather customer data on return on investment and prepare for scale-up.
