High-solar-reflectance building ceramic tiles based on titanite (CaTiSiO5) glaze

The solar reflectance of common building surfaces is generally low in urban areas, which can cause a heat island effect. Creating a cool surface of the building, i.e., cool roofs and cool walls are commonly-used ways to achieve this goal. A traditional, so-called “cool coating”, which is a layer of the cool roofs and cool walls, is made by mixing an organic solvent with a high-solar-reflectance inorganic additive. However, ceramic tiles have better performance in terms of durability, environment protection, and aesthetical characteristics than organic cool roofs. The development of a high-reflectance ceramic tile containing titanite crystals was carried out, and the reaction sintering mechanism of the tile was confirmed. The relationship between the crystal content and reflectance is also explained.