Thermochromic catalyst and biobased polymerised oil are the basis for roof coating

Thermochromic catalyst and biobased polymerised oil are the basis for roof coating Source:Fotolia/Jenson

Roof coatings are well known in the art. Roof coatings that involve temperature management typically involve reflection of sunlight to maintain a cool building. To reduce interior temperature and energy use, cool roofs have been used on commercial, industrial, and residential buildings. The present invention expands the capability of coatings to automatically and autonomously allow heating by transmission of sunlight, and aid in cooling by reflecting sunlight. The coating is composed of biobased polymerised oil and a catalyst that is also a thermochromic material. The catalyst reduces the temperature for polymerisation of the oil to create a suspension that forms a hardened mixture when cooled below about 100 degrees C. The thermochromic properties of the catalyst are operable to switch the hardened mixture from transparent to reflective of infrared light when the temperature rises above a switching temperature in an approximate range of 18 to 35 degrees C. The method of using the coating involves spraying a hot biobased coating on the roof surface and allowing it to cool. It means heating the suspension to a reaction temperature, holding at the reaction temperature, and, introducing an air flow through the mixture at the reaction temperature.