Improving the indoor environment has significant health benefits. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), most American spend over 80% of their time indoor. The concentrations of air contaminants can be a few times higher than outdoor. The indoor environment also exposes dwellers to higher chance of exposure to air-born pollutants including cold and flu viruses. Recent evidence has pointed to the effects of spread of virus carried by aerosol particles. The increasing COVID-19 infections associated with transition into cold seasons is a strong indicator of the pressing needs for indoor air quality improvements.

This seminar will introduce our research in developing novel building materials that aim to autogenously improve the environment quality indoor. The material is based on photocatalysts that are activated with visible light and is tailored for indoor applications. The talk will cover issues associated with material design, application, and assessment including machine learning (ML) for material performance prediction. It will also introduce the computer model-based assessments of the performance of the material in building environmental improvements and operations. Overall, a smart material strategy potentially provide a long lasting solution to improve the environment quality in buildings to achieve benefits in improving health, reducing building operational cost, and enhancing productivity of occupants.

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