Environmental and nanomechanical testing of an alternative polymer nanocomposite greenhouse covering material

Abstract Greenhouse covering materials have a substantial impact on the in-house thermal conditions. The development of alternative materials which can regulate the radiation and heat penetration in the greenhouse can significantly improve the cultivation conditions as well as minimize the energy requirements for heating, cooling and ventilation. In this study polymer prototype nanocomposites were developed through the use of uniform dispersions of highly porous granules, capable of regulating the Photosynthetically Active Radiation. The investigated material was tested against its environmental performance as well as for its nanomechanical behaviour. For this purpose, two identical small-scale experimental greenhouses were employed, in which the temperature, the relative humidity and the density of solar energy (penetrating and Photosynthetically Active Radiation) were measured. The mechanical properties, namely Young’s modulus and hardness of the tested material, were estimated by analysing the measured load–displacement curves delivered by nanoindentation testing. The findings of this study revealed that the proposed material has such a performance in radiation which allows its employment for temperature tolerant crops and cool growing.