Solar optical and thermal properties of micro- and meso-porous materials for cooling applications compared to typical building materials

The solar optical properties of micro- and meso-porous materials that can be building integrated or roof added for evaporating cooling purposes were studied and compared with conventional building materials. The results are interpreted in correlation with their water absorption capacity. For further studying their solar optical properties, absorbance measurements were solar-weighted in accordance with the ASTM G173 standard. Mesoporous materials presented high irradiation absorbance in the IR spectrum with significant variation depending on the water loading at different relative humidity. Strong near infrared absorptance bands of water centered at around 970 nm, 1190 nm and 1450 nm are applied to a quantitative analysis of water content. The experimental results indicate the suitability of the meso-porous primarily, and secondly the micro-porous materials under study, for building integrated solar cooling applications.