Over the past few decades, the elastocaloric effect (eCE) has emerged as the most promising alternative to vapor compression-based cooling and refrigeration devices. An overview of different forms of eC devices, based on the design of the material and the system, is captured with reported data on the cooling/heating power and efficiency. Besides experimental studies, numerical research and developed models for eCE are presented. The elastocaloric performance of NiTi Shape memory alloy has been considerably improved as a result of the unprecedented control over their microstructural, compositional, and geometrical characteristics that have been made possible by recent advancements in additive manufacturing (AM). This paper provides a thorough summary of the role of AM in the customization of NiTi-based SMAs for elastocaloric applications, with a particular emphasis on critical mechanisms such as microstructural refinement, phase stabilization, and architected design. Despite these advances, minimizing defects, managing compositional shifts, and assuring long-term cyclic stability need to be further investigated. This review emphasizes the transformative potential of AM in the development of next-generation elastocaloric materials and delineates future research directions for high-performance, scalable SMA-based cooling systems. To this end, an innovative concept of functionally graded eC material realized through additive manufacturing is introduced. These functionally graded structures pave the way to harnessing higher eC efficiency. The resulting eC materials can be 3D printed with optimal functionality and shapes. The optimized shapes, with a gradient of transformation temperatures, are expected, as described, to significantly improve the performance of the resulting systems.

Additively manufactured medical devices require proper surface finishing before their use to remove partially adhered particles and provide adequate surface roughness. The literature widely investigates regular lattice structures—mainly scaffolds with small pores to enhance osseointegration; however, only a few studies have addressed the impact of surface finishing on the dimensional deviation and the global and local mechanical responses of lattice samples. Therefore, the current research investigates the impact of biomedical surface finishing (i.e., corundum sandblasting and zirconia sandblasting) on Voronoi lattice structures produced by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) with large pores and different thicknesses on the surface morphology and global and local mechanical behaviors. MicroCT and SEM are performed for the assessment of dimensional mismatch and surface evaluation. The mechanical properties are investigated with 2D digital image correlation (DIC) in quasi-static compression tests to estimate the impact of surface finishes on local maps of strain. In the quasi-static tests, both the global mechanical performances, as expected, and local 2D DIC strain maps were mainly affected by the strut thickness, and the impact of different surface finishings was irrelevant; on the contrary, different surface finishing processes led to differences in the dimensional deviation depending on the strut thickness. These results are relevant for designing lattice structures with thin struts that are integrated into medical prostheses that undergo AM.

The elastocaloric (eC) effect, which harnesses the latent heat released during stress‐induced transformations of superelastic shape memory alloys (SMAs), offers a promising pathway toward solid‐state, environmentally friendly refrigeration technologies. However, the advancement of eC devices is constrained by the limited heat transfer surface area between SMAs and heat transfer fluids, as well as the high mechanical work input relative to the extracted latent heat. Among available SMAs, nickel titanium (NiTi) alloys are the most widely commercialized and exhibit strong potential for eC applications, yet their poor machinability and fabrication challenges hinder widespread implementation. Additive manufacturing (AM) provides a solution by enabling layer‐by‐layer fabrication of NiTi with complex geometries, thereby enhancing surface area and reducing work input through lattice structures. This review summarizes recent progress in AM‐fabricated NiTi for eC applications, with an emphasis on components produced by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) and directed energy deposition (DED) techniques using both wire and powder feedstocks. Finally, future directions and opportunities for integrating AM NiTi into practical eC devices are discussed.

Elastocaloric (eC) cooling technology, leveraging the latent heat associated with phase transformations in shape memory alloys, presents a promising alternative to traditional refrigeration systems. In this study, a three-dimensional phenomenological constitutive model based on Gibbs free energy is employed and coupled with an energy balance equation in cylindrical coordinates as a necessary step toward system-level simulation of eC tubes. After calibration against experimental data from the literature, the model is used to investigate an innovative functionally graded (FG) superelastic tube in which the transformation temperature (TT) is intentionally varied along the length. The primary objective is to determine whether a spatially tailored transformation-temperature profile can counteract the strong temperature gradients established during regenerative cycling. The simulations demonstrate that such grading promotes a more uniform phase transformation under constant loading and directly improves the material-level coefficient of performance. Notably, the graded profile reduces hysteresis losses by 7.85% and 10.88% at 650 MPa and 750 MPa, respectively through a gradual, distributed transformation that lowers the local critical stresses for forward and reverse transformation. The improvement in hysteresis in the FG design arises from the spatial variation in TTs across the tube, which leads to a gradual and distributed phase transformation rather than a sharp transition. In the model, this grading reduces the critical stresses required for both forward and reverse transformations in different tube segments. While the model does not directly alter the hysteresis loop size, the lowered transformation stresses effectively narrow the hysteresis loop by reducing the stress gap between the forward and reverse paths. This mechanism is embedded in the model influencing martensitic volume fraction, and subsequently through the stress–strain response. The FG design, therefore, enables a smoother transformation response with reduced internal energy dissipation, which manifests as improved (reduced) hysteresis. This work demonstrates the transformative potential of FG structures in creating practical eC systems.