Characterization and thermo-energetic simulation of multifunctional tiles

• Grant number: 24/00850-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: July 01, 2024
• End date: June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning - Architecture and Urbanism Technology
• Principal Investigator: Kelen Almeida Dornelles
• Grantee: Ana Carolina Hidalgo Araujo
• Supervisor: Umberto Berardi
• Host Institution: Instituto de Arquitetura e Urbanismo de São Carlos (IAU). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/14074-5 - Thermochromic and self-cleaning tiles: an adaptive and resilient roof, BP.DR

Abstract

The use of reflective coatings in the building envelope has effectively reduced solar heat gain, improving the thermal performance and comfort of buildings, especially in hot climates. However, natural weathering leads to surface degradation that affects their optical and thermal properties, thereby reducing the long-term effectiveness of these surfaces. This grant application (BEPE-DR), related to the candidate's doctoral research (FAPESP process 2022/14074-5), aims to evaluate the incorporation of thermochromic and self-cleaning materials into ceramic and fiber cement roof tiles for different Brazilian and Canadian climates, in order to develop an alternative that proves more efficient than reflective materials already widely used in the construction market. The goal is to fill theoretical and experimental gaps related to adaptive and self-cleaning materials in the built environment, as well as to validate the samples produced in the USP laboratories. This 12-month research internship at TMU, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Umberto Berardi, is expected to make significant contributions to this field of study. Following the exchange program, the candidate will organize knowledge-sharing workshops at the IAU-USP, where she will present the methodology adopted and the main results obtained during the exchange. In collaboration with her supervisors, the candidate will also publish scientific articles highlighting the main results of the research.