Hollow ultra-low-density thermoplastic microspheres can be used as filler in elastic waterproof coatings to improve a number of important properties of the coatings. The hollow microspheres help reflect solar radiation and reduce the temperature in cool roof coatings. This can improve the indoor climate of buildings without air conditioning, or save energy by reducing the need for air conditioning. The mechanism for the reflection is described in this paper and is compared with the mechanism for reflection by pigment particles like titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ). Results from solar reflection measurements show that the coating system filled with hollow microspheres reflects solar radiation of all incoming wavelengths, which is different from how TiO 2 reflects light. The number of reflecting units is still important for the total solar reflection and suggests that the average size of the microspheres should be as small as possible. Like most other fillers, hollow low-density thermoplastic microspheres can be used in combination with pigments.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Sandin et al. (2017) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: