18 / 33
Page 102
conferenceseries
.com
Volume 7
Innovative Energy & Research
ISSN: 2576-1463
Advanced Energy Materials 2018
August 13-14, 2018
August 13-14, 2018 | Dublin, Ireland
20
th
International Conference on
Advanced Energy Materials and Research
Innov Ener Res 2018, Volume 7
DOI: 10.4172/2576-1463-C1-003
An energy-efficient single-pane “green window” via the photothermal effect of chlorophyll thin film
coatings
Donglu Shi
and
Yuan Zhao
University of Cincinnati, USA
T
o prevent heat loss through windows in cold climates, the conventional methods mainly rely on low-e coatings and
thermal insulating materials on double-pane windows. In this study, naturally occurring chlorophyll is utilized as a thin
film coating on glass (also known as “Green Window” for its natural and green appearance) and demonstrates applicability
to significantly reduce thermal loss, thus improving energy savings. Chlorophyll exhibits a unique optical characteristic with
strong absorptions in the blue-violet and NIR regions while remaining highly transmissive in much of the visible region. This
unique property allows, on one hand, simulated solar energy, in the non-visible region, to be converted to heat by chlorophyll
through the so-called photothermal effect. Only slight heating due to the photothermal effect on the window surface is required
to significantly reduce the U-factor (related to thermal loss). On the other hand, the chlorophyll coating density required
to generate this temperature rise by thin film deposition on glass retains high light transmittance attributable to minimum
absorption in the visible range. This concept lifts the dependence on insulating materials making single-pane windows highly
possible. Chlorophyll synthesis, thin film deposition, optical characterization, photothermal effect, and energy performance
quantification are carried out in this study with engineering considerations in window designs.
donglu.shi@uc.edu