Albotherm Responsive Coatings

By 2050, food demand is expected to increase between 59% and 98%, driven by an increasing global population coupled with decreasing amounts of arable land. In order to feed the world, we need solutions that maximise the productivity of the farming land still available to us whilst being both low cost and environmentally sustainable. This need has led to a drastic increase in the greenhouse film market size, which was valued at $3.9bn in 2018 and is projected to nearly double to $6.5bn by 2023\.

Albotherm will produce a temperature responsive coating, that will passively regulate the temperature of the surfaces it coats by reflecting light away when the temperature increases. Greenhouses offer intensive crop growth under controlled conditions, extending growing seasons and increasing crop yields. However, glazing that raises crop temperatures in Spring and Autumn can scorch crops in Summer. Our aim is to use this coating to passively regulate greenhouse temperatures, to improve both crop-yield and quality.

We do this using a responsive polymer gel that transitions from clear to opaque at a specified temperature. The change in opacity is fully reversible, meaning the polymer only remains opaque above the desired temperature. This temperature can be tuned to anything between 18°C to 45 °C, making it suitable for any climate or crop.

Currently our materials exist as a water-based solution, which cannot be practically applied to greenhouses. This project will allow us to develop and test a powdered form of our responsive polymer, that can then be used as an additive for plastic greenhouse films and would allow passive control of the climate inside the greenhouse. The same additives can also be dispersed into paint, making a sprayable coating that passively cools on the surface it is applied to. This product would be versatile and applicable not only for plastic greenhouses, but it could also be applied to almost any surface including glass.

In the longer term, we plan to develop the product further to create a more durable paint, with the aim to target the commercial and ultimately domestic buildings market. The UK government has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2050 and to halve the energy use of new buildings by 2030, meaning we will need more passive cooling technologies than ever before. Our responsive paints could make a huge contribution in reducing our reliance on energy intensive, air conditioning systems.