Highly comprehensive photonic films towards enhancement of greenhouse productivity

Abstract

Enhancing agricultural production efficiency stands as a pivotal measure in tackling the global food crisis. Agricultural films with both light and temperature management capabilities would considerably improve solar energy utilization, enhancing agricultural productivity, quality, and income. However, agricultural films with multiple functions, such as high transparency, light conversion, and thermal insulation are extremely scarce in the current market, and there are also obvious gaps in related research reports. To address this issue, we have successfully developed a multifunction integrated coating (anti-reflective, light-converting coating; abbreviated to ARLC-Coating) by combining an anti-reflective layer (AR-layer) with a light conversion film (LC-layer) using a facile method. The composite film not only enhances photon flux density but also demonstrates a significant conversion efficiency gain of 6.89 % and 36.86 % higher than conventional PE film in the blue- and red-light regions, respectively. Noteworthily, under controllable indoor environments, the ARLC-PE film effectively boosts the photosynthesis and yield of lettuce, offering promising prospects for elevating agricultural productivity and quality. Moreover, the nano-array structure and low surface energy of the AR-layer, combined with its strong adhesion with the LC-layer, endow the ARLC-Coating with exceptional thermal insulation, dust resistance, mechanical robustness, and all-weather durability. Our discovery paves a new avenue to the development of multifunctional photothermal regulation films, significantly broadening their application scope.