CAREER: Understanding the Thermal and Optical Behaviors of the Near Infrared (NIR)-Selective Dynamic Glazing Structures

该学院早期职业发展(Career)计划奖的目标是了解由多层功能和近红外(NIR)选择效应组成的窗口的热行为和光学行为。一扇理想的窗户应该在传输可见光的同时，对太阳热做出季节性的反应。然而，当前的窗户技术面临着挑战，无法独立于可见光来调制太阳热量。纳米材料的最新进展证明了独立操纵近红外光的能力。该项目将结合纳米尺度的物理关系和纳米材料对多层玻璃结构的热和光学行为的影响。该项目的社会影响将构成一种新的建筑窗户，可以极大地降低全国建筑总能耗。教育影响将包括专注于建造窗户和信封的课程，这些课程沟通了建筑和工程界的知识，并点燃了建筑界和工程界之间的合作兴趣，以培养可持续建筑行业的未来专业人员。为实现这一目标，研究方法包括：(1)将全球太阳辐射分解为光谱波段分量，以实现随时间变化的近红外模型；(2)推导和实验验证近红外选择性玻璃结构的基本热学和光学行为；(3)结合热光模型和近红外模型对动态近红外选择性玻璃结构进行评估和优化。这项研究将为理解纳米尺度现象(即光激发)和微观到宏观尺度的玻璃结构特性(即玻璃特性、光谱发射率、中心层绝缘能力、层放置)的组合效应奠定基础。这些知识将显著提高我们将近红外选择性材料融入建筑窗户的能力。将开发考虑纳米级近红外吸收和散射特性的新分析模型，并进行实验验证。通过结合开发的太阳光谱分解模型和计算方法来量化玻璃性能，这项研究将提供对近红外选择性玻璃结构的最佳随时间变化的热光性能的显著特征和模式的理解，以实现最低水平的能源使用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program award is to understand the thermal and optical behaviors of windows consisting of multi-layer functions and near infrared (NIR)-selective effects. An ideal window should seasonally respond to the solar heat, while transmitting the visible light. However, current window technologies are challenged to modulate solar heat independent of visible light. Recent advances in nanomaterials have demonstrated the ability to independently manipulate NIR light. This project will integrate the nanoscale physical relations and effects of nanomaterials on the thermal and optical behaviors of multi-layer glazing structures. The societal impacts of the project will constitute a new class of building windows that can greatly reduce the total building energy consumption in the nation. The educational impacts will include courses concentrating on building windows and envelopes, which bridge the knowledge and ignite collaborative interest between the architecture and engineering communities for cultivating future professionals in the sustainable building industry. Furthermore, experimental modules will be created to teach high school students to build their own sensors for window measurements and to raise community and public awareness of energy-efficient window technology.To achieve the objective, the research approach includes: (1) decomposing global solar irradiance into its spectral band components to achieve a time-dependent NIR model; (2) deriving and experimentally validating the fundamental thermal and optical behaviors of NIR-selective glazing structures; and (3) integrating the thermo-optical model and NIR model for the evaluation and optimization of dynamic NIR-selective glazing structures. This research will form the foundation to understand the combined effects of nanoscale phenomenon (i.e., photoexcitation) and micro-to-macroscale glazing structure properties (i.e., glazing properties, spectral emissivity, central-layer insulating abilities, layer placements). Such knowledge will significantly improve our ability to incorporate NIR-selective materials into building windows. New analytical models that take the nanoscale NIR absorption and scattering features into account will be developed and experimentally validated. By coupling the developed solar spectral decomposition model and computational method to quantify glazing performance, this research will provide an understanding of the salient characteristics and patterns of the optimal time-dependent thermo-optical properties of NIR-selective glazing structures to achieve a minimum level of energy use.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.