Fluorescent marking of roads in high-north

Abstract

The project objective is to investigate into luminescent coating materials that can be used in marking the roads in high-north. The idea of the project is not entirely new, and efforts have been worldwide to find an energy efficient solution to the street lights. Earlier work conducted in the Netherlands showed quite promising results. However, the challenges include weatherproofing the coat such that it can withstand the harsher conditions such as rain, temperature changes, UV exposure from sunlight. The conditions will be even more stringent in the high north since the roads are exposed to snow, ice, and traffic with studded-wheels. In this work, we are proposing to use polyurethane-based coating materials with added luminescent materials. The work will be carried out by appropriately mixing the materials to obtain the desired luminescent as well as physical properties. The polyurethane-based coats are known for their durable performance and hence used in industries such as aviation, automobiles, etc.