Abstract
The world's steadily growing population and global heating due to climate change are a threat to food security. To meet this challenge, novel technologies are needed to increase crop production in a sustainable way. In this work, the use of luminescent down-shifting (LDS) materials based on molecular Eu3+-containing polyoxotitanates for plant growth enhancement is investigated. Using a systematic design strategy to optimize down-shifting properties, conversion of the ultraviolet spectral range to the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) is achieved with quantum yields as high as 68%. The prototype Eu3+-compound can be incorporated into water-based acrylic varnish that can be spray-coated onto existing greenhouses. Comparing coated with uncoated greenhouses, basil plants produce 9% more leaf dry weight per plant, and a highly significant 10% increase in individual leaf dry weight. The coating reduces the amount of transmitted PAR by 8% but has advantageous effects on diffuse radiation and in reducing the internal mean temperature. Although there is some uncertainty as to the contribution of down-shifting, with the bulk of the increase probably being due to higher diffused light and the reduction in maximum daily temperatures, this study establishes a model for the design of LDS paints for real-world agricultural applications.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 2400977 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Advanced Materials Technologies |
Early online date | 6 Nov 2024 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 6 Nov 2024 |
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available in the sup-plementary material of this article.
Keywords
- down-shifting
- food security
- plant growth
- polyoxotitanates
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Materials Science
- Mechanics of Materials
- Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering