Effect of optimized photoluminescence on luminous and passive cooling potential: A new combined experimental and numerical approach applied to yellow-emitting glass tiles

In this study, photoluminescent glass tiles with different content of yellow-emitting pigments are tested as a promising adaptive strategy for investigating their potential for lighting energy saving and passive cooling in the built environment. The capability of such materials to re-emit light after a certain solicitation period has indeed gained increasing attention as an innovative solution to reduce building energy consumption and mitigate the urban heat island phenomenon. Following this line, photoluminescence is here studied through spectrophotometric and spectroradiometric measurements, during both its charging and decay phase. Analytic corrections are then applied for the first time to isolate only the photoluminescent effect from the overall experimental data. Results demonstrate how higher contents of photoluminescent pigments do not always correspond to the best performance: tiles with an intermediate concentration provide for the longest afterglow decay time (up to 79 min) and the highest reduction in solar energy absorption (up to 26.8 W/m2).