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Photonic Metaconcrete with Infrared RAdiative Cooling capacity for Large Energy savings

Project description

Revolutionising manufacturing through high-tech functional photonic metamaterials

Photonics has a broad range of applications, gradually also conquering the building construction industry. The development of multi-functional concrete with improved traditional properties and enhanced novel functionalities is key for sustainable and high-performance solutions. The EU-funded MIRACLE project will construct and test a revolutionary photonic meta-concrete (PMC) whose response to light will be engineered for exhibiting radiative cooling ability. MIRACLE's proposed solution is advantageous and fully scalable, based on steel microfibre reinforced concrete. The PMC innovation aims to drastically contribute to the construction of nearly zero-energy buildings but can also be expanded in multiple fields such as solar cell technology or communication technologies.

Objective

This project envisions a new science and technology that turns low-tech concrete and cement-based materials into high-tech functional photonic metamaterials. In particular, the MIRACLE project will construct and test a revolutionary Photonic Meta-Concrete (PMC) whose response to light will be engineered for exhibiting radiative cooling ability; i.e. the PMC will be able to expel heat from buildings to the outer space without any extra energy consumption. Though this ambitious challenge can have a big impact in the Nearly-Zero-Energy-Buildings (NZEB) uptake, the concept of PMC transcends this particular application, with multiple implications in avenues like solar cell-technology or communication technologies, for example. Radiative cooling technology utilizes the atmospheric transparency window to passively dissipate heat from the Earth to outer space. This technology has attracted wide interest from both fundamental and applied sciences, due to its a priori potential in multiple applications like building cooling, renewable energy harvesting, or even dew water production. However, currently the development of this technology is in a bottleneck, where the scientific ideas have negligible potential impact in any real-world energy solution. In this context, the MIRACLE consortium proposes a considerable advance in the state-of-the-art because it will address for the first time an effective and fully scalable solution based on steel microfibre reinforced concrete ! The idea of MIRACLE is to propose new designs where an ordered arrangement of the steel microfibres can work in combination with hierarchical porous structure of concrete as a PMC. For this challenging objective, advanced optimization methods based on deep learning technologies will be employed at the design level, while the fabrication will rely on an inverse-phase methodology where micro-patterned concrete mould will be produced by two-photon-polymerization (2PP).

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

RIA - Research and Innovation action

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-FETOPEN-2018-2020

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Coordinator

AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 687 410,00
Address
CALLE SERRANO 117
28006 MADRID
Spain

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Region
Comunidad de Madrid Comunidad de Madrid Madrid
Activity type
Research Organisations
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 687 410,00

Participants (7)

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