Descripción del proyecto
Un nuevo material de recubrimiento para invernaderos mejora la fotosíntesis
La clorofila es el pigmento que confiere a las plantas su color verde. Absorbe luz azul y roja (las longitudes de onda larga y corta del espectro de luz visible), lo cual provoca que la planta tenga color verde. Esto significa que el espectro solar no está optimizado para la conversión de energía. Por ejemplo, el uso de pigmentos fluorescentes convencionales en un recubrimiento sobre un invernadero provocaría que la mitad de la luz solar convertida se emitiese de nuevo al espacio, lo que disminuiría la eficiencia de la conversión. El proyecto COSMAGREEN, financiado con fondos europeos, diseñará un material de recubrimiento de invernaderos que pueda aumentar la luz eficaz aferente para mejorar el proceso de fotosíntesis. En particular, utilizará materiales de recubrimiento con combinaciones de fósforo y nanoantenas que contribuirán a reducir la luz que se retroemite.
Objetivo
Plants do not harvest the whole solar spectrum equally at the different wavelengths. They indeed reflect green, absorbs red and blue, so that we see them green. The consequence of that is that the solar spectrum is actually not optimised for energy conversion. However, incoming solar spectrum can be modified in order to shift less efficient wavelengths to more efficient one (like green to red) using fluorescent pigments or phosphors. In this way, photosynthesis efficiency can be increased. Meanwhile, when one uses standard fluorescent pigments implemented in a coating at the top of a greenhouse, half of the converted sunlight is emitted back to space due to their isotropic emission, thus lowering the conversion efficiency. To overcome this limit, we propose to use the properties of nano antennas for which it has been shown that they can change the emitting direction of pigments when they are placed in their vicinity. We will design a greenhouse coating that enhance photosynthesis by increasing the effective light inside greenhouses using coatings having nano-antenna phosphor pairs. Firstly, we will perform numerical calculations considering near field radiation and fluorescence, in order to find an optimum design in terms of antenna and phosphor size. Then, the coating will be produced in collaboration with a deposition facility using corresponding parameters from the numerical study. Finally, the actual design will be characterised using spectroscopy to determine the discrepancy between numerical and experimental study. Further actions like changing numerical solver and/or fabrication methods will be considered after a feedback from the two studies.
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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinador
86034 Poitiers Cedex
Francia