Descrizione del progetto
Nuovi fotomateriali per la gestione termica
L’obiettivo del progetto PHOTHERM, finanziato dall’UE, è cambiare radicalmente il modo in cui il riscaldamento e il raffreddamento sono generati sviluppando una nuova classe di materiali in grado di catturare, immagazzinare e rilasciare sia il calore solare che quello ambientale. I materiali per la gestione termica solare comprendono foto-interruttori molecolari che catturano e immagazzinano la luce solare, i cosiddetti sistemi MOST, così come materiali a cambiamento di fase che contribuiscono alla gestione termica. L’input del sistema MOST è costituito dai fotoni della luce solare e dal calore ambientale, poiché i materiali a cambiamento di fase possono assorbire il calore dall’ambiente. La combinazione MOST-materiali a cambiamento di fase potrebbe riuscire ad alterare il modo in cui la temperatura è controllata in una vasta gamma di applicazioni, tra cui la produzione di energia locale, i sistemi elettronici, le automobili e le abitazioni.
Obiettivo
Since the beginning of civilization, humanity has built houses to sustain comfortable living conditions throughout the seasons. In our modern society, about 50% of the total energy consumption is used for heating and cooling. Growing demands for thermal management in many different sectors, from electronics to housing, inevitably means increased energy consumption. The primary source of heat is coming from the combustion of fossil, bio, or waste-based feedstocks, all contributing to emissions. This project seeks to fundamentally change how we generate heating and cooling by developing a new class of materials that capture, store, and release both solar and ambient heat. The solar thermal management materials are a unique combination of molecular photo-switches that capture and store sunlight, so-called MOST systems, together with phase change materials (PCM) that can contribute to thermal management. The two classes of materials operate at fundamentally different principles. The input of MOST system is photons, whereas the output is heat. The PCM materials can absorb heat from the environment. By combining the two materials into one, we can harness and upgrade two of the most abundant renewable sources of energy on the planet: ambient heat and sunlight. The materials function will be demonstrated in heat to power devices that can operate 24/7 without the need for traditional batteries. The MOST-PCM combination has the potential to disrupt how we control the temperature in a broad range of applications, from local power production to heating and cooling in electronics systems, to temperature control in automotive and housing. The materials developed in this project have the potential to radically change thermal comfort and energy consumption and give new design opportunities to thermal management systems from the 10-9 to 10 m length scale.
Campo scientifico
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringthermodynamic engineeringheat engineering
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyplanetary sciencesplanets
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energysolar energysolar thermal
- natural sciencesphysical sciencestheoretical physicsparticle physicsphotons
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantIstituzione ospitante
08034 Barcelona
Spagna