One of the methods to reach the CommONEnergy aim to re-conceptualize shopping malls through deep retrofitting is the development of a systemic approach made of innovative technologies and solution-sets. This report focuses in particular on smart coating materials and aims at developing a multi-functional formulation leading to higher energy savings. 

Coatings are used mostly for aesthetic reasons, but nowadays, more and more technologies using special additives and paints are developed. This new series of commercial products, named “cool” or “smart” paints/coatings can be used to address several buildings’ problems, such as mold, water penetration and solar reflection. However, in order to achieve a multi-functional coating, the various combinations of additives must include a careful design and an extensive use of nanotechnologies. This report investigates commercial ordinary and specialised paints and additives, in order to cross-check their performance, and makes new steps for the development of a fabrication in vitro of a novel series of multi-functional formulations. 

The analysis first focuses on the determination and evaluation of the possible areas of improvements to the demo walls and of the meteorological conditions for each demo site. 

The main research is then divided in two main parts:

• Part A: Evaluation and testing of existing commercial products, aimed at evaluating and classifying a number of materials to determine possible existing market solutions for the development of new multi-functional formulations, to establish their capabilities and performance and to identify the best possible combinations among them.

• Part B: Multifunctional formulation development and testing, aimed at developing a multifunctional formulation of new generation for the coating industry, able to carry specific useful properties and to be adopted in many shopping malls in order to reduce the energy consumption.

One of the most important achievements of the report is the development of the nanoparticles carrier matrix, which can be used as an “additive” to all commercial acrylic paints and allows the production of “on demand” formulations. The testing shows indeed that, even if further research is needed, for example on the possibility to integrate the new multi-functional formulation to more coating families of products (or industrial sub-products and wastes), this formulation is unique as it is performing better than the additives and cool paints currently on the market, claiming thermal behavior, while maintaining its anti-molding/anti-bacterial, self-cleaning and VOC elimination properties. 

Supported by the successful Catanian demo case, the new “cool” paints seem to be as “smart” as the commercial buildings they would cover, given their potential for higher energy savings and relatively low production costs, as well as their compliance to the CommONEnergy goal of formulating a coating with outstanding properties in various fields.

Download the report (still subject to the European Commission approval)