Feasibility of a polybisphenol A epichlorohydrin (PBAE)/antimony-doped tin oxide polymer composite as an NIR absorption coating for outdoor applications

A polybisphenol A epichlorohydrin/antimony-doped tin oxide (PBAE/ATO) polymer composite solution was prepared by utilizing various weight percentages of ATO nanoparticles (~ 19 nm). The optical properties of the PBAE/ATO composites were analyzed by fabricating thin films on glass substrates. The polymeric film with 3 wt% ATO showed good transparency in the visible and UV regions and strong absorption in the NIR region. Moreover, under light illumination, the PBAE/ATO thin film displayed an ~ 24.4°C rise in temperature relative to the reference thin film. In addition, the outdoor NIR absorption efficiency was studied by spray coating a PBAE/ATO thin film over a vinyl greenhouse, and it was observed that the PBAE/ATO-coated greenhouse prevented snow deposition during the winter by melting the snowflakes through NIR absorption.