Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

This NSERC Strategic project will explore developing new areas of nanotechnology to address several previous shortcomings of solar thermal energy, making it much more viable and inexpensive, which has been holding this technology back in North America from widespread adoption. Solar thermal panels are more efficient for both heating and adsorption based cooling compared to photovoltaics. As over 80% of the fossil fuels burned in Canada are for heating and cooling, this strategic NSERC strategic proposal can have a significant impact on our way of life. As part of this effort, the research program will focus on a disruptive platform for developing a new generation of metal-dielectric nanocoatings and novel conductive polymer nanocomposites, and how these can be manufactured to produce next-generation low-cost solar heating devices. Highly conductive polymer nanocomposites will be synthesized containing graphene and carbon aerogel materials, with excellent heat transfer and weathering capabilities for the solar absorber substrate. Transparent plastic outer coatings based on self-healing/repairing polyurethane polymers containing nanostructured mixed metal oxides could greatly lower the cost and weight of the solar panels, while providing the required high transparency and low emissivity. For industrial cooling, high efficiency absorber nanocoatings will be prepared using advanced laser and clean solvent sol-gel deposition technologies with unique features including thermochromic behaviour for temperature control, self-cleaning behaviour for the conductive glass/coating, and high temperature stability for adsorption cooling requirements. The implications of this technology go far beyond solar thermal, and can be used for new solar materials for photovoltaics, buildings, greenhouses, and automobile coatings.