INGRECO constitutes a collaborative team work between academic research and industry in the field of materials technology aiming at the development of innovative greenhouse films with great market potential via the application of functional coatings with enhanced properties on their surfaces. Its successful implementation will, on one hand, generate new knowledge and, on the other, will enhance competitiveness towards good agricultural practices and sustainability.
The project proceeds from the design, synthesis and characterization of the innovative coatings, to the study and optimization of their adhesion onto the film surfaces, to the study of the final film properties, to the scale up of the production to a semi-industrial level and to the final application in experimental greenhouses used in agriculture.
INGRECO aims to fabricate a novel generation of plastic greenhouse films by developing and applying innovative functional coatings with enhanced properties on their surfaces. These coatings will lead to
- increase of the lifetime of the plastic film from 4 to ~10 years via preventing the agrochemicals from entering the film volume
- increase of the duration of the anti-dripping property of the plastic film from 1.5-2 years to the lifetime of the film and
- modification of the external surface of the plastic film to become super-hydrophobic and self-cleaning in order to prevent dust and/or algae deposition.
Principal Investigator
Scientific Staff
Technical Staff
Research Associates
Students
Funding
