Enhanced Thermochromic Roof Coatings: Accelerated Aging Effects on Optical and Wettability Properties
摘要
Recent studies have identified thermochromic materials as a promising solution for improving energy efficiency. These materials can adapt the building envelope to seasonal thermal variations by adjusting solar reflectance in response to temperature changes. Despite their potential, the long-term performance of these materials remains limited and underexplored. This study investigates a coating of microencapsulated organic thermochromic (TC) pigments applied to ceramic and fiber cement roof tiles. The formulation combines an aqueous dispersion of colloidal silica (SiO2) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) with a TiO2-P25 protective layer to enhance durability. The optical properties (solar reflectance and thermal emissivity) and water wettability (contact angle) of the coating were analyzed before and after accelerated aging according to ASTM D7897. The results emphasized the importance of proper component dispersion and the need for a binder to prevent particle erosion. The accelerated aging tests showed that the TC samples with the TiO2-P25 protective layer exhibited 57.2% less solar reflectance degradation in the below-transition-temperature phase and 36.8% less degradation in the heated phase, and the samples with TiO2-P25 became more hydrophobic, with contact angles increasing 12 times for ceramic and 24 times for fiber cement. These results highlight the potential of the TiO2-P25 layer to enhance thermochromic coating durability and help reduce reliance on artificial cooling, especially in regions with seasonal climate variation.