Advanced Photonic Thin Films for Solar Irradiation Tuneability Oriented to Greenhouse Applications

Abstract

The world population is growing by 1 billion people every 10 years. There will come a time when there will be more people to feed but less land to grow food. Greenhouses can be the solution to this problem because they provide the highest production yield per m2 and also use less water, provide food safety, and offer high quality. Photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) favors vegetable growth with a specific blue and red light ratio. Thus, increasing the amount of red light improves chlorophyll absorption and photosynthetic efficiency. In this article, we present a hybrid system that combines luminescent materials and photonic crystals for better management of the light reaching the greenhouse. The luminescent dyes considered herein are combined ensuring a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) nonradiative mechanism to enhance the absorption range. The designed photonic crystal maximizes reflections in the Near-Infrared (NIR) range, and therefore, thermal losses are minimized. Thus, by converting harmful or ineffective radiation for plant growth to the PAR region, we aim to demonstrate growth-condition enhancement for the different vegetables that have been used as a model.

Cultivation of Solanum lycopersicum under Glass Coated with Nanosized Upconversion Luminophore

“…Before making assumptions about the reasons for the positive effect of the PCF, it should be noted that the passing of light through glass coated with luminescent nanopar-ticles was not accompanied by a noticeable increase in the intensity of the visible range. However, in the present work, as well as in a number of other works, an increase in plant productivity was demonstrated [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46]. Nanosized particles can act as a protectant against UV owing to their capability to absorb and scatter ultraviolet radiation.…”

Light Pollution and Circadian Misalignment: A Healthy, Blue-Free, White Light-Emitting Diode to Avoid Chronodisruption

“…We present a study of WLEDs using organic fluorescent dyes to replace the conventional phosphor. These organic luminescent materials have already been tested as spectral converters in the energy sector (photovoltaics) [23][24][25], in the agrifood sector (greenhouses) [26], and even in the medical sector (ophthalmology) [27] to achieve a specific spectral redistribution. The lighting industry may benefit from these types of materials, which are sustainable, environmentally friendly, and free of geopolitical tensions.…”

Parametric Open Source Cold-Frame Agrivoltaic Systems

“…It is well established that tinted semi-transparent PV can actually increase yields for some plants [123]. There is research that has shown spectral shifting materials could also be of use in greenhouses [124][125][126].…”