Abdullatif Hakami

Abstract: Solar radiation causes a remarkably high amount of thermal energy to be gained or lost in buildings. Appropriate window layout and design as well as intelligent roof coatings help a building maintain a suitable temperature. Applied to glass or roof surfaces, single- or multilayer thin film coatings with spectrally desired properties can significantly increase a building's energy efficiency. Thermochromic materials present some advantages due to their reversible color and phase change behavior near ambient temperature. For example, a thermochromic coating on a roof’s surface can change color (black to white) reversibly when heated at around 30 oC, reflecting solar radiation and reducing a building’s cooling needs. In the present study, various thermochromic coatings on glass slides are investigated. In this work, the effect of non-toxic titanium dioxide (TiO2), used as a UV radiation protective coating on thermochromic particles (such as a three-component blue dye synthesized in the lab or a commercially available black dye), is discussed. The composite coatings of the chosen components can reduce a building’s cooling and heating energy needs and provide an environmentally sustainable solution for a green economy. Several physico-chemical characterization techniques were used to understand the surface, interfacial, spectroscopic, and thermal behavior of TiO2 or SiO2 coatings and phase change thermochromic materials for applications in thermal storage and enhanced energy efficiency.

Keywords: Thermal energy, glass substrate, phase change, smart thermochromic coating, built environment.

Date Published: August 16, 2024
DOI: 10.11159/jffhmt.2024.023

View Article