SBIR Phase I: Multifunctional coatings for building envelopes

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将开发具有气候调节特性的墙壁和天花板涂料，从而提高建筑物的能源效率，耐用性和舒适性。在美国，建筑物占一次能源消耗的40%左右，虽然增加隔热和气密性可以降低能源成本，但这也增加了对水分损害的脆弱性。不适当的湿度管理会产生巨大的成本，超过三分之一的美国建筑物会经历潮湿的环境，这会促进霉菌和细菌等有害污染物的生长。此外，水是建筑材料失效的主要原因。多功能涂料提供了一种解决方案，可以以简单的方式融入新建筑和改造中。该项目开发的建筑涂料具有商业潜力，将产生广泛的影响，因为它们将为湿度控制，热效率和防潮性等相互关联的挑战提供经济有效的解决方案。这种涂层利用了水分储存材料的高储能能力，模仿了植物如何利用水分通过蒸腾作用来调节温度。 该研究将重点优化底漆和面漆的配方，使它们作为一个多功能材料系统共同工作，能够有效地管理水蒸气和热量的流动。该系统的第一个功能是以蒸气二极管的方式提供对蒸气扩散的方向控制。 这种二极管将产生一种泵送效应，积极地从墙壁空腔中去除水分，提高建筑物的耐用性。涂层的第二个功能是缓冲建筑物中的湿度，这增加了舒适度。最后一个功能是当水蒸气在其结构内蒸发和冷凝时，储存和释放大量的潜热，从而减少温度波动和气候控制所需的能源消耗。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop coatings for walls and ceilings that have climate-regulating properties, resulting in improved energy efficiency, durability, and comfort for buildings. Buildings account for around 40% of primary energy consumption in the United States, and while increasing insulation and airtightness can lower energy costs, this also increases vulnerability to moisture damage. Inadequate moisture management has significant costs, and over one third of U.S. structures experience damp conditions that promote the growth of harmful pollutants like mold and bacteria. Moreover, water is a major cause of failure of building materials. Multifunctional coatings provide a solution that can be incorporated in a straightforward manner into both new constructions and retrofits.The architectural coatings to be developed in this project have commercial potential and will make a broad impact because they will provide a cost-effective solution to the interconnected challenges of humidity control, thermal efficiency, and moisture durability. The coatings use the high energy storage capacity of moisture storage materials, mimicking how plants use water to regulate their temperature through transpiration. The research will focus on optimizing the formulations of a primer and a topcoat so that they work together as a multifunctional material system capable of effectively managing the flows of water vapor and heat. A first function of the system is to provide directional control over vapor diffusion in the manner of a vapor diode. This diode will create a pumping effect that actively removes moisture from the wall cavity and enhances a building's durability. A second function of the coatings is to buffer the humidity in the building, which increases comfort. A final function is to store and release significant amounts of latent heat as water vapor evaporates and condenses within its structure, which reduces temperature fluctuations and energy consumption required for climate control.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.