The work package aims at developing new materials and material technologies for application in zero emission buildings. The largest emphasis has been on materials for utilization in the building envelope. Examples of research areas include thermal insulation materials (e.g. vacuum insulation panels VIP, aerogels and nano insulation materials NIM), phase change materials (PCM), building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), window materials and technologies, new lightweight glass materials, various coating materials (e.g. low-emissivity coatings, anti-reflection coatings, self-cleaning coatings, transparent pigments, and electrochromic coatings), as well as the environmental impact of the developed materials technologies. Currently, a special focus is on nano insulation materials (NIM) and electrochromic materials (ECM). The NIM activity aims at developing high-performance thermal insulation materials with a very high thermal resistance, thus providing the possibility of using relatively thin insulation (e.g. wall) thicknesses. The ECM activity aims at developing electrochromic materials for use in smart windows, thus enabling dynamic regulation of the solar radiation throughput by application of an external voltage.
