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Smart Building Materials
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Smart Building Materials

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2016) | Viewed by 19474

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Somayeh Asadi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Architectural Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Interests: design of energy efficient buildings; smart grid; food–water–energy nexus; integrate advanced–sustainable materials and nanomaterials; life cycle assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like you to consider submitting a paper for this Special Issue of the Journal Buildings; the focus of which is on the application of multi-functional materials in buildings. Multifunctional materials are developing as a new interdisciplinary field, providing a new level of functionality, adaptability, and tailorability for future engineered systems. They can be defined as those offering specific needed electronic, magnetic, optical, thermal, or other properties to satisfy previously unachievable performance metrics. The introduction of such materials to production will considerably change design philosophy and the form and capabilities of the products designed. Multifunctional materials have a board spectrum of applications in buildings and construction, and they target a wide range of functional and structural applications, underpinning current and future challenges in energy, environmental sustainability, and indoor air quality.

Dr. Somayeh Asadi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • multi-functional materials
  • smart material
  • buildings
  • sustainability
  • energy efficiency
  • numerical model
  • measurement

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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5986 KiB  
Article
Variation of Thermochromic Glazing Systems Transition Temperature, Hysteresis Gradient and Width Effect on Energy Efficiency
by Michael E. A. Warwick, Ian Ridley and Russell Binions
Buildings 2016, 6(2), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings6020022 - 01 Jun 2016
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 7118
Abstract
Due to increasing pressure to reduce the energy demand in buildings, thermochromic thin film based glazing has become a recognized potential solution due to the intrinsic ability to modulate the solar heat gain of a window as a function of the materials temperature. [...] Read more.
Due to increasing pressure to reduce the energy demand in buildings, thermochromic thin film based glazing has become a recognized potential solution due to the intrinsic ability to modulate the solar heat gain of a window as a function of the materials temperature. These “intelligent” glazings have been investigated for several years, and it has been found that, through variation of synthetic route, the thermochromic properties (transition temperature, hysteresis gradient and width) can be altered; however, less attention has been applied to how such alterations affect the overall energy savings attributed to the materials. In this study the building simulation software EnergyPlus TM has been used to model a series of idealized thermochromic spectra in a series of different environments to evaluate their energy saving potential against both clear glass systems and industry standards. The idealized spectra are used to see what effect each of the materials thermochromic properties and therefore elucidate which are the most important with respect to the energy saving properties. It was found that the best thermochromic materials were those with a narrow sharp hysteresis and a low transition temperature and result in an increase in energy saving between 30%–45% across the different environments compared to clear glass systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Building Materials)
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Review

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5399 KiB  
Review
Thin Films for Advanced Glazing Applications
by Ann-Louise Anderson, Shuqun Chen, Luz Romero, Işıl Top and Russell Binions
Buildings 2016, 6(3), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings6030037 - 15 Sep 2016
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 11737
Abstract
Functional thin films provide many opportunities for advanced glazing systems. This can be achieved by adding additional functionalities such as self-cleaning or power generation, or alternately by providing energy demand reduction through the management or modulation of solar heat gain or blackbody radiation [...] Read more.
Functional thin films provide many opportunities for advanced glazing systems. This can be achieved by adding additional functionalities such as self-cleaning or power generation, or alternately by providing energy demand reduction through the management or modulation of solar heat gain or blackbody radiation using spectrally selective films or chromogenic materials. Self-cleaning materials have been generating increasing interest for the past two decades. They may be based on hydrophobic or hydrophilic systems and are often inspired by nature, for example hydrophobic systems based on mimicking the lotus leaf. These materials help to maintain the aesthetic properties of the building, help to maintain a comfortable working environment and in the case of photocatalytic materials, may provide external pollutant remediation. Power generation through window coatings is a relatively new idea and is based around the use of semi-transparent solar cells as windows. In this fashion, energy can be generated whilst also absorbing some solar heat. There is also the possibility, in the case of dye sensitized solar cells, to tune the coloration of the window that provides unheralded external aesthetic possibilities. Materials and coatings for energy demand reduction is highly desirable in an increasingly energy intensive world. We discuss new developments with low emissivity coatings as the need to replace scarce indium becomes more apparent. We go on to discuss thermochromic systems based on vanadium dioxide films. Such systems are dynamic in nature and present a more sophisticated and potentially more beneficial approach to reducing energy demand than static systems such as low emissivity and solar control coatings. The ability to be able to tune some of the material parameters in order to optimize the film performance for a given climate provides exciting opportunities for future technologies. In this article, we review recent progress and challenges in these areas and provide a perspective for future trends and developments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Building Materials)
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