GOALI: Holographic Passive Solar Concentration and Lighting

研究目标和方法这项研究的目标是创造一种新形式的全息聚合物薄膜，可以改变阳光在日变化和年变化上的方向，从而实现被动太阳能聚光器的发电和被动太阳能照明的节能。方法是调整聚合物的反应和扩散速率，使全息图的效率可以增长到此类材料的典型效率的25倍，从而使许多薄的、100%效率的薄膜能够堆叠在一张纸上。这些角度和颜色选择薄膜的设计工具将被创建来指导功能样品的制备和测试。智能价值这项研究将通过研究聚合物在固体薄膜中的光学引发的强烈分离来推动软材料科学的发展。专门的理论和数值设计工具将利用这种对3D材料属性的增强控制来实现具有大折射率梯度的新型聚合物光学设备。高通量薄膜制造工艺将被创造出来，以经济相关的成本和尺寸实现这些设计。然后，该计划将与两个工业合作伙伴合作，制造和测试用于太阳能发电和节能应用的专门薄膜。布罗德影响该计划将在一所本科文科学院建立一个卫星研究中心。本科生将在学年期间研究材料，然后利用暑假将结果整合到科罗拉多大学更大的项目中。

Research Objectives and ApproachesThe objective of this research is to create a new form of holographic polymer film that can redirect sunlight over daily and yearly variations in order to enable passive solar concentrators for energy generation and passive solar lighting for energy conservation. The approach is to tailor the polymer reaction and diffusion rates such that the holograms can grow to 25 times the efficiency typical of such materials, enabling many thin and 100% efficient films to be stacked into a single sheet. Design tools for these angle and color selective films will be created to guide the fabrication and test of functional samples.Intellectual MeritThe research will advance soft materials science by investigating optically-initiated, strong segregation of polymers in solid films. Specialized theoretical and numerical design tools will exploit this enhanced control over 3D material properties to enable new classes of polymer optical devices with large refractive index gradients. High-throughput film fabrication processes will be created to realize these designs in economically-relevant costs and sizes. In cooperation with two industrial partners, the program will then fabricate and test specialized films for solar generation and conservation applications.Broader ImpactsThe program will establish a satellite research hub at an undergraduate liberal arts college. Undergraduates will investigate materials during the academic year, then spend summers integrating results into the larger program at the University of Colorado.