Development of thermochromic materials for coating applications

E. J. CALVO; F. J. WILLIAMS; M. BOSSI; G. J. A. A. SOLER-ILLIA; M. TAGLIAZUCCHI

2010-07-01

2011-07-01

Química

Productos metalicos

The objective of the proposed research is to explore technologies for producing visible/near infra-red reflective materials that undergo thermal induced switching for coatings applications. Specifically, the goal is materials that could be incorporated into our resin systems to achieve this effect. The materials would need to have the following properties: The materials would have to have a refractive index in the range of 1.4-1.6, comparable to our resin systems, and when thermally switched, change by 0.4 to 0.6 units. The thermal temperature switch of the material(s), from being transmissive/absorbing to a high reflectance state in the near and mid infrared region, takes place between 70°F and 80°F. The approach to be explored in this project will be to synthesize and characterize VO2 nanoparticles and to fabricate self-assembled “Layer-by-Layer” composites of nanoparticles plus polyelectrolyte multilayers. These films will be characterized for their film thickness and temperature dependent optical properties.