Over 5.64 million miles of the U.S. roads are built with asphalt. The black color of asphalt can make the road unpleasantly hot during summer due to its large solar absorption. The associated heat and smell contribute to urban heat island effects and negatively impacts the health of road users (drivers, bikers, pedestrians). The high road temperature also reduces pavement life due to bleeding of asphalt binder and accelerated pavement rutting. This project will study innovative solar responsive thermochromic asphalt to manage the thermal loads to pavements. This new material will feature high solar radiation at high temperature and high solar absorbance at low temperature. Therefore, it will make the road cooler during summer and warmer during winter. Both aspects will improve the durability of asphalt roads. This research could lead the current paving industry into a sustainable practice by promoting longevity and environmental friendliness. It will train undergraduate and graduate students through a tailored curriculum and research program that increases the interdisciplinary competencies of young researchers.
The objective of this research is to understand the scientific principles enabling effective design, production and assessment of multifunctional thermochromic asphalt. In the material design aspects, research activities aim to formulate and implement a performance-driven design matrix by understanding the microscopic interactions that determine the multifunctional properties of thermochromic asphalt. In the material processing aspects, the activities aim to understand the effects of processing conditions on the microscopic interactions between asphalt binder and thermochromic powders. This will determine the unscalability for plant production. 3) In the performance assessment aspect, it aims to assess the multifunctional performance of thermochromic asphalt and include into life cycle cost benefits analyses. This research project will advance the current design philosophy of structural materials from a primarily mechanical focus to a multifunctional design matrix. The innovation from this research will provide a long lasting and environmental friendly construction material. The process of knowledge discovery will also expand the current knowledge on optical and thermal interactions of composite materials.
