Lattice Vibrations and Molecular Conformations in a Plastic Crystal: A Path to Solid-State Cooling Materials

In recent years, orientationally disordered crystals, or plastic crystals, have transformed the field of solid-state cooling due to the significant latent heat and entropy changes associated with their temperature-induced molecular order-disorder phase transition, which can produce colossal caloric effects under external field stimuli. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these huge caloric effects remain inadequately understood and general principles for enhancing the performance of caloric plastic crystals are lacking. Previous studies have predominantly focused on molecular rotations, overlooking other potentially critical factors, such as lattice vibrations and molecular conformations. In this study, we employ classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to both replicate and elucidate the microscopic origins of the experimentally observed colossal barocaloric (BC) effects—those driven by hydrostatic pressure—in the archetypal plastic crystal neopentyl glycol (NPG). Our MD simulations demonstrate that in NPG, the combined BC response and phase-transition entropy changes arising from lattice vibrations and molecular conformations are nearly equal to those from molecular reorientations. These findings suggest that alongside hydrogen bonding—which directly impacts molecular rotational dynamics—lattice vibrational and molecular structural features, often overlooked, must be integrated into the rational design and modeling of advanced caloric plastic crystals. These insights are not only of significant fundamental interest but also essential for driving the development of next-generation solid-state refrigeration technologies.