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Alternative Technology

Phononic Aims to Disrupt Cooling World with Solid-State System

Its compressor-free thermoelectric cooler, which employs CO2 and water, is being used by a range of end users, including Unilever, Pepsi Bottling and ThermoFisher Scientific — By Devin Yoshimoto and Michael Garry

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uring a televised interview on CNBC’s “Power Lunch” show on May 15 (https:// cnb.cx/2EeKFGG) Tony Atti, CEO and co-founder of Durham, N.C., Phononic, discussed how the company’s solid -state thermoelectric cooling technology can be used on a drone that is transporting a small payload like a human organ for an emergency transplant. The PrecisionHawk drone sat on a table nearby. “The weak link in cold-chain logistics is how to deliver any perishable good at the appropriate temperature,” he said. “With PrecisionHawk, we have been able to showcase a compact solution that runs off battery power with the drone itself for cold-chain transport.” Drone transportation is one of several potential applications that the Phononic system can serve, in addition to current applications ranging from food retail to healthcare to optoelectronics.

Phononic ice cream freezer at checkout. (Photo courtesy of Phononic)

As Phononic enters its next stage of growth, it is focused on shifting from a creator to an enabler. - Nicole Scott, Phononic

Accelerate Magazine // June 2019

As it enters a variety of sectors and partners with companies like Unilever, Pepsi Bottling Ventures and ThermoFisher Scientific, the decade-old company has been growing and gaining greater recognition for its compressor-free alternative to vapor-compression cooling systems. Phononic has 140 employees and has raised nearly $160 million in investment at a valuation of $284 million, said CNBC. In May, Phononic was selected 17th on CNBC's "Disruptor 50" list of cutting edge start-ups, marking the third time the company has been named to the