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The dimensional stability of a UV printed polymer microstructure for a novel glazing system for seasonal regulation and daylighting based on a periodic array of parabolic micro-mirrors is investigated. The objectives of the work are: i) to analyze the dimensional changes of UV-printed microstructures related to polymerization and thermal aging; and ii) to identify the impact of these changes on the optical properties of the system. The period was found to be stable, with shrinkage below 1.5% after printing, independent of PI concentration, and remained constant upon thermal exposure. In contrast, dimension W1/2 decreased by up to 14.5% with time at 80°C, presumably due to physical aging processes. A change of height also occurred, but it was partly compensated by the change of W1/2 as a result of Poisson's effects and a complex distribution of internal stress. The impacts of these dimensional changes on the redirection of daylight were also investigated.
Fabrizio Carbone, Giovanni Maria Vanacore, Ivan Madan, Ido Kaminer, Simone Gargiulo, Ebrahim Karimi