UNIT-4

Definition, manufacture and types of nano materials. Properties, performance of nano

materials in building construction, types application of nano-materials like carbon,
nanotubes etc.,
Nano composite used with cement, steel, aluminium, wood, glass for thermal
insulation, fire protection, coating and painting and structural monitoring etc.Nano
technologies in building and construction.
INTRODUCTION:

• Nanomaterials are cornerstones of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

• Nanostructure science and technology is a broad and interdisciplinary area of
research and development activity that has been growing explosively worldwide in
the past few years.
• It has the potential for revolutionizing the ways in which materials and products are
created and the range and nature of functionalities that can be accessed.
• It is already having a significant commercial impact, which will assuredly increase in
the future.
• Nanotechnology holds a promise and creates great opportunities for advancing
construction systems, building materials, and design methods.
• Potential applications in high-rise construction, reinforced concrete, cement
products as well as pavement engineering have been noted by various studies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k61wjab7iUs
 NANO - MATERIALS

ONE - DIMENSION TWO - DIMENSION THREE - DIMENSION

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k61wjab7iUs
When the surface area goes down , it has very good interactivity
The change in color happens due to Surface plasma reasonance.
 What are Nanomaterials ??

▪ Nanomaterials can be defined as materials possessing, at minimum, one external

dimension measuring 1-100nm.

▪ The definition given by the European Commission states that the particle size of at
least half of the particles in the number size distribution must measure 100nm or
below.

▪ Nanomaterials can occur naturally, be created as the by-products of

combustion reactions, or be produced purposefully through engineering to
perform a specialised function.

▪ These materials can have different physical and chemical properties to their
bulk-form counterparts.
 What are Naturally Ocurring Nanomaterials ??

Examples of natural and biological materials which contain nanoscopic particles.

(a) Naturally occurring nanoparticles of inorganic, elemental sulfur, for instance, are
found at mineral wells rich in hydrogen sulfide, such as the Elisenbrunnen in Aachen.
(b) In contrast, mechanically produced nanomaterials of natural products have been
evaluated for medical and agricultural applications.
(c) Eventually, there are also naturally produced nanomaterials of natural, biological
products, such as nanoscopic particles of elemental selenium coated with microbial
proteins which are formed by bioreductive or oxidative metabolism in bacteria and fungi.
 Uses of created Nanomaterials :

▪ The healthcare field, utilises nanomaterials in a variety of ways, with one major
use being drug delivery.

▪ One example of this process is whereby nanoparticles are being developed to

assist the transportation of chemotherapy drugs directly to cancerous growths,
as well as to deliver drugs to areas of arteries that are damaged in order to
fight cardiovascular disease.

▪ Carbon nanotubes are also being developed in order to be used in processes

such as the addition of antibodies to the nanotubes to create bacteria sensors.
 Uses of created Nanomaterials :

▪ In aerospace, carbon nanotubes can be used in the morphing of aircraft wings.

The nanotubes are used in a composite form to bend in response to the
application of an electric voltage.

▪ Elsewhere, environmental preservation processes make use of nanomaterials

too - in this case, nanowires.

▪ Applications are being developed to use the nanowires - zinc oxide nanowires-
in flexible solar cells as well as to play a role in the treatment of polluted water.
What are Nano materials ?
▪ Nanoscale materials are defined as a set of substances where at least one
dimension is less than approximately 100 nanometers.
▪ A nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter – approximately 100,000 times smaller
than the diameter of a human hair.
▪ Nanomaterials are of interest because at this scale unique optical, magnetic,
electrical, and other properties emerge. These emergent properties have the
potential for great impacts in electronics, medicine, and other fields
WHERE ARE NANAOMATERIALS FOUND?

▪ Naturally occuring nanostructures are present in volcanicash, ocean spray

▪ ,fine sand and dust. Also present in plants and animals.
▪ For example-nanostructure ensures an antireflection and water repelling effect so
they can fly safely.
▪ Nowadays, scientist can create nanostructure themselves by rearranging the
atoms of an object , they can make new nanomaterial with new properties.
▪ That are stronger, lighter or different in colour.
▪ Some nanomaterials occur naturally , but of particular interest are engineered
nanomaterials, which are designed for , and already being used in many
commercial products and processes.
▪ They can be found as sunscreens , cosmetics , stain resistant clothing, tires
▪ ,electronics as well as in medicine purposes of diagnostic ,imaging and drug
delivery.
History of nanomatrials
 CURRENT APPLICATIONS:

▪ Water filtration devices, paints, cosmetics, coatings, lubricants,

textiles, memory/storage devices
▪ Medical diagnostics, displays, sensors, drug delivery, composite
materials, solid state lighting, bio-materials, nano arrays, more
powerful computers, protective armor, chembio suits, and chem-bio
sensors.
TYPES OF NANOSTRUCTURES:

MATERIALS AT NANOSCALE CAN HAVE DIFFERENT PROPERTIES

▪ Nanomaterials have a much greater surface area to volume ratio ,
which can lead to greater chemical reactivity and affect their strength
▪ Also at nano scale, quantum effects can become much more important
in determining the materials properties and characteristics, leading to
novel optical, electrical and magnetic behaviours.
 DIFFERENT TYPES OF NANOPARTICLES
Nanoparticles can be classified into different types according to the size, morphology, physical and
chemical properties.

NANOPARTICLES

CARBON-BASED CERAMIC METAL POLYMERIC LIPID BASED

SEMICONDUCTOR
NANOPARTICLES NANOPARTICLES NANOPARTICLES NANOPARTICLES NANOPARTICLES
NANOPARTICLES
CARBON BASED NANO PARTICLES :

▪ Carbon-based nanoparticles include two main materials: carbon

nanotubes (CNTs) and fullerenes. CNTs are nothing but graphene sheets
rolled into a tube. Fullerene, also called buckminsterfullerene, any of a
series of hollow carbon molecules that form either a closed cage
(“buckyballs”) or a cylinder (carbon “nanotubes”).
▪ These materials are mainly used for the structural reinforcement as they
are 100 times stronger than steel.
▪ CNTs can be classified into single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)
and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs).
▪ CNTs are unique in a way as they are thermally conductive along the
length and non-conductive across the tube.
▪ Fullerenes are the allotropes of carbon having a structure of hollow cage
of sixty or more carbon atoms.
▪ The structure of C-60 is called Buckminsterfullerene, and looks like a
hollow football.
▪ The carbon units in these structures have a pentagonal and hexagonal
arrangement. These have commercial applications due to their
electrical conductivity, structure, high strength, and electron affinity.

https://interestingengineering.com/3-amazing-uses-carbon-nanotubes
CERAMIC NANO PARTICLES :

▪ Ceramic nanoparticles are inorganic solids made up of oxides, carbides,

carbonates and phosphates. These nanoparticles have high heat
resistance and chemical inertness.
▪ They have applications in photocatalysis, photodegradation of dyes,
drug delivery, and imaging.
▪ By controlling some of the characteristics of ceramic nanoparticles like
size, surface area, porosity, surface to volume ratio, etc, they perform as
a good drug delivery agent.
▪ These nanoparticles have been used effectively as a drug delivery
system for a number of diseases like bacterial infections, glaucoma,
cancer, etc.
METAL NANO PARTICLES :

▪ Metal nanoparticles are prepared from metal precursors. These

nanoparticles can be synthesized by chemical, electrochemical, or
photochemical methods.
▪ In chemical methods, the metal nanoparticles are obtained by reducing
the metal-ion precursors in solution by chemical reducing agents.
▪ These have the ability to adsorb small molecules and have high surface
energy.
▪ These nanoparticles have applications in research areas, detection and
imaging of biomolecules and in environmental and bioanalytical
applications.
SEMICONDUCTOR NANOPARTICLES:

▪ Semiconductor nanoparticles have properties like those of metals and

non- metals. They are found in the periodic table in groups II-VI, III-V or
IV-VI.

These particles have wide bandgaps, which on tuning shows different

properties. They are used in photocatalysis, electronics devices, photo-
optics and water splitting applications.
POLYMERIC NANOPARTICLES:

▪ Polymeric nanoparticles are organic based nanoparticles. Depending

upon the method of preparation, these have structures shaped like
nanocapsular or nanospheres.
▪ A nanosphere particle has a matrix-like structure whereas the
nanocapsular particle has core-shell morphology. In the former, the
active compounds and the polymer are uniformly dispersed whereas in
the latter the active compounds are confined and surrounded by a
polymer shell.
▪ Some of the merits of polymeric nanoparticles are controlled release,
protection of drug molecules, ability to combine therapy and imaging,
specific targeting and many more.
▪ They have applications in drug delivery and diagnostics. The drug
deliveries with polymeric nanoparticles are highly biodegradable and
biocompatible.
Lipid-Based Nanoparticles :

▪ Lipid nanoparticles are generally spherical in shape with a diameter

ranging from 10 to 100nm.
▪ It consists of a solid core made of lipid and a matrix containing soluble
lipophilic molecules. The external core of these nanoparticles is
stabilized by surfactants and emulsifiers.
▪ These nanoparticles have application in the biomedical field as a drug
carrier and delivery and RNA release in cancer therapy.
▪ Thus, the field of nanotechnology is far from being saturated and it is, as
the statistic says, sitting on the staircase of an exponential growth
pattern. It is basically at the same stage as the information technology
was in the 1960s and biotechnology in the year of 1980s.
▪ Thus it can easily be predicted that this field would witness a same
exponential growth as the other two technological field witnessed
earlier.
 CLASSIFICATION OF NANO-MATERIALS

NANO - MATERIALS

ARTIFICIAL NANO-
NATURAL NANO-
MATERIALS
MATERIALS

▪ Nanomaterials can be classified primarily into two types:

▪ Natural and artificially fabricated
Natural nanomaterials:
▪ These include nanomaterials that
exist in biological systems
▪ e.g. viruses(capsid), substances in
our bone matrix, ribosome
machinery, ATPase etc
 Artificial nanomaterials:
These are the ones that are fabricated by different experiments.
They can further sub-divided into 4 classes:

CARBON BASED METAL BASED DENDRIMERS COMPOSITES

NANOMATERIALS NANOMATERIALS
CARBON BASED MATERIALS :

▪ These nanomaterials are composed mostly of carbon, most commonly taking

the form of a hollow spheres, ellipsoids, or tubes.
▪ Spherical and ellipsoidal carbon nanomaterials are referred to as fullerenes,
while cylindrical ones are called nanotubes.
▪ These particles have many potential applications, including improved films
and coatings, stronger and lighter materials, and applications in electronics.
▪ USES : This classification includes fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, graphene and
the like.
METAL BASED MATERIALS :

▪ These nanomaterials include quantum dots, nanogold, nanosilver and

metal oxides, such as titanium dioxide.
▪ A quantum dot is a closely packed semiconductor crystal comprised of
hundreds or thousands of atoms, and whose size is on the order of a few
nanometers to a few hundred nanometers.
▪ Changing the size of quantum dots changes their optical properties.
▪ Metal-based nanomaterials are materials made of metallic nanoparticles like
gold, silver, metal oxides, etc. For example, titanium dioxide (TiO2)
nanoparticles are extensively used in applications such as paint, sunscreen,
and toothpaste.
DENDRIMERS:

▪ These nanomaterials are nanosized polymers built from branched units. The surface
of a dendrimer has numerous chain ends, which can be tailored to perform specific
chemical functions.
▪ This property could also be useful for catalysis. Also, because three- dimensional
dendrimers contain interior cavities into which other molecules could be placed,
they may be useful for drug delivery.
▪ Dendrimers are nanosized polymers built from branched units. They can be
functionalized at the surface and can hide molecules in their cavities. A direct
application of dendrimers is for drug delivery.
 NANOCOMPOSITE:

▪ A Nanocomposite is a composite material, in which one of the components

has at least onedimension that is around 10-9 m.

OR

▪ A Nanocomposite is a multiphase solid material where one of the phases has one,two
or three dimensions of less than 100 nm, or structure having nano-scale repeat
distance between the different phases that make up the material.

▪ Composite nanomaterials contain a mixture of simple nanoparticles or compounds

such as nanosized clays within a bulk material. The nanoparticles give better physical,
mechanical, and/or chemical properties to the initial bulk material.
CLASSIFICATION OF NANO – COMPOSITES :
 WHY POLYMER NANOCOMPOSITES ARE UNIQUE

Increase in electrical break down strength of

polymers.
Melting temperature, color ,magnetization
and charge capacity is more.
interacting Zone is increasing such that we
can get our expected property.
Nanocomposites are upcoming materials which shows the great changes in
all the industrial fields and it is also going to be a economical barrier for
developing countries as a tool of Nanotechnology.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES:

▪ The unique properties of these various types of intentionally produced

nanomaterials give them novel electrical, catalytic, magnetic,
mechanical, thermal, or imaging features that are highly desirable for
applications in commercial, medical, military, and environmental sectors.

▪ These materials may also find their way into more complex nanostructures
and systems. As new uses for materials with these special properties are
identified, the number of products containing such nanomaterials and
their possible applications continues to grow.
NANOTECHNOLOGY AND WOOD PRODUCTS
▪ The wood industry in North America provides over 80% of all building materials
used in residential construction. Wood-frame construction is very popular in
the United States and Canada due to lower cost and ease of fabrication.
▪ Most importantly is the ability of forest wood (living and growing trees) to be
impregnated on a molecular level with nanoscale composites. The latter
could transform the properties of subsequently harvested trees and
provide a new generation of wood composites with superior structural
performance and durability.
▪ Nanotechnology offers the potential of reconstructing the cellulose fiber- to-
fiber bonding and permitting fiber-to-plastic link at a microscopic level
allowing the development of resin-free, light-weight wood-plastic composites
with enhanced strength and serviceability .
▪ Other important contributions of Nano-science to wood relates to weathering
and decay, fire protection, and performance monitoring.
▪ BASF has incorporated silica and alumina nanoparticles and hydrophobic polymers
into the manufacturing of water repellent coatings that provide wood with superior,
long-term weathering resistance. These are called nanodimensional barriers and
could be applied in construction sites or integrated in the wood manufacturing
process.
▪ Nano thin-film coatings would provide long- lasting finishing surfaces and render
wood almost decay and weathering proof for decades.
▪ Wood is particularly susceptible to fire, a characteristic that makes it hazardous to
use in assembly buildings.
▪ Recently developed nano-based potash provides superior adhesion qualities. When
mixed into the resins used in binding the wood layers, nano- based potash adhesives
allow the production of plywood and other dimensional lumber products with
exceptionally high flash point and virtually fireproof.
▪ Nanoscale sensors(devices) incorporated in wood composite fibers could also
provide feedback on product performance, environmental conditions, moisture
content, insect and fungi activ ity, and overall structural performance. Such sensors
are expected to become commercially available and affordable in the near future
NANOTECHNOLOGY AND CONCRETE AND PAVEMENT ENGINEERING

▪ Concrete is the most widely used man-made material, and the

manufacture of cement accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all
anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide.
▪ It is imperative to reduce concrete-related carbon-dioxide emissions as to
combat global warming with two billion tons of cement being produced
in the world every year.
▪ Researchers at MIT studied the nanostructure of cement, and proposed
that through engineering cement on a nanoscale, it is possible to reduce
carbon-dioxide emissions from cement production.
▪ Concrete has grown from the basic 4-ingredient compound (cement,
water, sand, and gravel) to a much more complex structural system with
the addition of multiple chemical admixtures that impart specific qualities
to the final product.
▪ Hydrated cement, which is the most active ingredient in the concrete mix,
consists of thin layers of solid particles separated by pores that range from
nanometers to millimeters.
▪ The porous structure of hydrated cement provides a pathway for various
impurities and chemicals such as chloride salts to seep into concrete
causing cracking and structural deterioration.
▪ Research has shown that replacing the silica, which is part of cement and
conventional concrete mix, with nano-silica particles could substantially
improve particle packing and reduce long-term degradation.
▪ Nanopowders have a remarkable surface area that could potentially
permeate cement pores, which lead to considerable improvement in
water and chemical resistance and therefore reduce concrete shrinkage
and cracking.
▪ The performance of concrete could also be substantially improved by
adding nanoengineered fibers and polymers to the mix in the field using
acoustic energy to ensure homogenous distribution or under more
controlled conditions during the manufacturing process of cement and
other concrete components.
▪ Among new nano-based concrete additives are highly efficient super
plasticizing polymers and high-strength fibers with exceptional energy-
absorbing capacity.
▪ Recent nanotechnological advancements could lead to a new
generation of concrete that is stronger, more durable and attractive as
well smarter.
▪ One of the possibilities of nanomaterials with concrete is the development
of sensors that act as part of the substrate, thereby providing feedback
about internal stresses and early warnings of potential problems in
concrete structures.
▪ Pavement engineers use a wide range of cement-based and concrete
materials for the construction and maintenance of road pavement.
▪ Nano-based enhancement of concrete products would mean much
stronger and durable road and highway surfaces and potentially better
driv ing conditions due to reduced need for maintenance and road
blocking.
▪ Bitumen-based products represent another major strand of materials used
in road and highway pavement. The composite nature of hot-mix asphalt
(a mixture of aggregates and a bitumen binder) opens the door for
significant improvements in material performance based on nanotechnology.
▪ Potential areas of improvement incorporate mechanical performance,
durability, reflectiv ity and skid resistance, better binding, faster curing, and
maintenance.
▪ Applications of Titanium Oxide nanoparticles on road surfaces prom ise to
create a new generation of remarkable protective coatings for concrete and
asphalt surfaces.
▪ The Titanium Oxide coatings capture and break down organic and inorganic
air pollutants by a photo catalytic process. The result is environmentally friendly
road surfaces with minimum long-term maintenance.
▪ The full potential of CNT‟s may not be realized before crystallographic,
stone waling, and other kinds of defects have been resolved.
▪ CNT polymer composites seem to provide a more practical application on
the short-term especially as cement and concrete reinforcing fibers.
▪ However, adding Nanofibres to concrete requires the use of special sonic
energy to break up the nanotube bundles and achieve even distribution of
the nanofiber in the mix.
▪ The success of the application depends on improv ing the synthesis of fibers
with the concrete mix.
▪ Another potential application of nanotube fibers is in the area of glass
reinforcement. Nanofibers could substantially increase the strength of glass
without comprising the transimissivity of glass panels.
▪ The production of longer CNT ropes could generally open the door for
various structural applications such as suspension cables, long-span
structures, and pre-and-post- tensioned concrete systems as well space
frames and trusses.
 CARBON NANOTUBES (CNT’S)

▪ CNT‟s are nanoscale cylinders of carbon and come in single-or-multiple- wall

structures.They are also referred to as „buckytubes‟ and endowed with
superior structural performance that makes them the most perfect
representation of nanotechnology with almost unlimited applications in
materials, electronics, chemical processing, energy management.
▪ The carbon-carbon bond in the CNT results in superior strength and optimum
performance up to their theoretical breaking limit. The Young‟smodulus of
elasticity of CNT‟s exceed that of structural steel by several times.
 CARBON NANOTUBES (CNT’S)

▪ CNT‟s are nanoscale cylinders of carbon and come in single-or-

multiple- wall structures.They are also referred to as „buckytubes‟ and
endowed with superior structural performance that makes them the
most perfect representation of nanotechnology with almost unlimited
applications in materials, electronics, chemical processing, energy
management.
▪ The carbon-carbon bond in the CNT results in superior strength and
optimum performance up to their theoretical breaking limit. The
Young‟smodulus of elasticity of CNT‟s exceed that of structural steel by
several times.
▪ The full potential of CNT‟s may not be realized before crystallographic,
stone waling, and other kinds of defects have been resolved.
CARBON NANOTUBES :
▪ Tiny strips of graphite are rolled into tubes.
▪ Both single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) and multiwalled carbon
nanotubes (MWNT) have been used for immobilization of protein/enzyme
▪ .MWNT have more dispersive properties.
▪ High electrical conductivity
▪ Mechanical strength
▪ Species can easily adsorb onto surface
▪ CARBON NANOFIBRES
▪ Enzymes can be immobilized
inside or outside the fibre
hence providing more surface
area.
▪ Are defined as fibres with diametres
less than 100nm .

APPLICATIONS-
▪ Skin cleansing
▪ skin therapy
▪ skin healing
▪ Filtration media
▪ liquid filtration
▪ gas filtration
WHY ARE NANOMATERIALS IMPORTANT?
▪ Have created a high interest in recent years by virtue of their unusual
mechanical, electrical, optical and magnetic properties.
▪ Nanomaterial ceram ics are of particular interest because they are more
ductile(உடையாமல் கம்பிகளாக இழுக்கப்படும் ஆற்ற) at elevated
temperatures as compared to the coarse grained ceramics.
▪ Polymer based composites with a high content of inorganic particles leading
to a high dielectric constant are interesting materials for photonic band gap
structure.
▪ Nanostructured metal oxide thin films are receiving a growing attention for
the realization of gas sensors with enhanced sensitivity and selectivity.
 The use of nanomaterials in construction industry is restricted due to
following reasons:

▪ The lack of knowledge concerning the

suitable nanomaterials for construction and their behavior;
▪ The lack of specific standards for design and execution of the construction
elements using nanomaterials;
▪ The reduced offer of nanoproducts;
▪ The lack of detailed information regarding the nanoproducts content;
▪ High costs;
▪ The unknowns of health risks associated with nanomaterials.
NANOMATERIALS FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION :

▪ Nanotechnology can generate products with many unique characteristics that

can improve the current construction materials;
▪ lighter and stronger structural composites,
▪ low maintenance coatings,
▪ better cementitious materials,
▪ lower thermal transfer rate of fire retardant and insulation,
▪ better sound absorption of acoustic absorbers and better reflectivity of glass .
▪ Because the size of the particles is a critical factor, the material properties
significant differ at the nanoscale from that at larger scales.
▪ Physical phenomena begin to occur differently below the boundary limit: gravity
becomes unimportant electrostatic forces and quantum (ம ொத்தம்)effects start to
prevail.
▪ At the same time, the proportion of atoms on the surface increases relative to those
inside creating so-called “nano-effect”. All these nano-properties actually affect
the materials behavior at macro-scale and, from this point, the power of
nanotechnology is emphasized: if the elements are proper manipulated at the
nanoscale, the macro- properties are affected and new materials and processes
can be developed.
▪ Some of the important nanomaterials with potential use in construction industry are
discussed here.
NANOTECHNOLOGIES FOR CONCRETE :
▪ Concrete is a macro-material strongly influenced by its nano-properties.
The addition of nano-silica (SiO2) to cement based materials can control
the degradation of the calcium- silicatehydrate reaction caused by
calcium leaching in water, blocking water penetration and leading to
improvements in durability.
▪ The addition of small amounts (1%) of carbon nanotubes can improve the
mechanical properties of mixture samples of portland cement and water.
▪ Oxidized multi- walled nanotubes show the best improvements both in
compressive strength and flexural strength compared to the reference
samples.
▪ Addition of nanoscale materials into cement could improve its
performance. Use of nano-SiO2 could significantly increase the compressive
for concrete, containing large volume fly ash, at early age and improve
pore size distribution by filling the pores between large fly ash and cement
particles at nanoscale.
▪ The dispersion/slurry of amorphous nanosilicais used to improve segregation
resistance for self-compacting concrete.
▪ It has also been reported that adding small amount of carbonnanotube
(1%) by weight could increase both compressive and flexural strength.
NANOTECHNOLOGIES FOR STEEL :
▪ Steel is a major construction material.
▪ Its properties, such as strength, corrosion resistance, and weld ability, are very
important for the design and construction.
▪ It is possible to develop new, low carbon, high performance steel (HPS).
▪ The new steel was developed with higher corrosion-resistance and weld
ability by incorporating copper nanoparticles from at the steel grain
boundaries.
▪ The addition of copper nanoparticles reduces the surface unevenness of
steel which then limits the number of stress risers and hence fatigue cracking,
leading to increased safety, less need for monitoring and more efficient
materials use in construction subjected to fatigue issues .
▪ Vanadium and molybdenum nanoparticles improve the delayed fracture
problems associated with high strength bolts, reducing the effects of
hydrogen embrittlement and improving the steel micro-structure.
▪ The addition of nanoparticles of magnesium and calcium leads to an
increase in weld toughness.
NANOTECHNOLOGIES FOR WOOD :
▪ Wood is composed of nanotubes or “nanofibrils”.
▪ Lignocellulosic surfaces at the nanoscale could open new opportunities for
such things as selfsterilizing surfaces, internal self-repair, Highly water
repellent coatings incorporating silica and alumina nanoparticles and
hydrophobic polymers are proper to be used for wood.
NANOTECHNOLOGIES FOR GLASS :
▪ The use of TiO2 nanoparticles to glasses leads to so-called self cleaning
technology. Due to the nanoparticles photocatalytic reactions, the organic
pollutants, volatile organic compounds and bacterial membranes are
decomposed.
▪ As well, TiO2 being hydrophilic, his attraction to water forms drops which then
wash off the dirt particles decomposed in the previous process. Fire-
protective glass is obtained using fumed silica (SiO2) nanoparticles as a clear
interlayer sandwiched between two glass panels which turns into a rigid and
opaque fire shield when is heated.
NANOTECHNOLOGIES FOR COATINGS AND PAINTINGS:
▪ Nanotechnology is applied to paints in order to assure the corrosion protection
under insulation since it is hydrophobic and repels water from the metal pipe
and can also protect metal from salt water attack.
▪ Others applications refer to coatings that have self healing capabilities through
a process of “selfassembly”. In addition to the self-cleaning coatings
mentioned above for glazing, the remarkable properties of TiO2 nanoparticles
are put to use as a coating material on roadways in tests around the world .
▪ TiO2 is used to coat glazing because of its sterilizing and anti fouling properties.
▪ The TiO2 will break down and disintegrate organic dirt through powerful
catalytic reaction. Furthermore, it is hydrophilic, which allow the water to
spread evenly over the surface and wash away dirt previously broken down.
▪ Other special coatings also have been developed, such as anti-fraffiti, thermal
control, energy sawing, anti-reflection coating.
NANOTECHNOLOGIES FOR THERMAL INSULATION :
▪ Micro- and nanoporous aerogel materials are appropiate for being core
materials of vacuum insulation panels but they are sensitive to moisture.
▪ As a possible remedy it was produced an ultra-thin wall insulation which uses a
hydrophobic nanoporous aerogel structure.
▪ Another application of aerogels is silica based products for transparent
insulation, which leads to the possibility of super- insulating windows.
▪ Micro or nano- electomechanical systems offer the possibility of monitoring and
controlling the internal environment of buildings and this could lead to energy
savings.
NANOTECHNOLOGIES FOR FIRE PROTECTION :
▪ Fire resistance of steel structures is often provided by a coating produced by
a spray-on cementitious process.
▪ Nano-cement made of nanosized particles has the potential to create tough,
durable, high temperature coatings.
▪ This is achieved by the mixing of carbon nanotubes with the cementious
material to fabricate fibre composites that can inherit some of the
outstanding properties of the nanotubes.
▪ This is achieved by the m ixing of carbon nanotubes (CNT's) with the
cementious material to fabricate fibre composites that can inherit some of
the outstanding properties of the nanotubes such as strength.
▪ Polypropylene fibres are also considered as a method of increasing fire
resistance and this is a cheaper option than conentional insulation.
NANOMATERIAL SYNTHESIS AND PROCESSING-
▪ Nanomaterials deal with very fine structures. This indeed allows to think of
bottom up or the top down approaches.
▪ Bottom-Up approach :- Materials and devices are built from molecular
atom which assemble themselves chemically by principles of molecular
recognition.
▪ Top-Down approach :- Nano-objects are constructed from larger entities
without atomic level control Eg – Sol Gel method
Top downApproach
▪ For nanomaterials synthesis, ball milling is used Macrocrystalline structures are
broken down to nanocrystalline structures.
Bottom upApproach
▪ It is used to build from basic material, for example ,assembling materials
fromatom/molecules
▪ The commonly used methods include sol-gel,hydrothermal, physical and
chemical vapor deposition, epitaxial growth
FUTURE CHALLENGE :
▪ While nanotechnology based construction products prov ide many
advantages to the design and construction process, the production of these
products, however, require a lot of energy.
▪ Also, the nano-tubes m ight cause a lung problem to construction workers. In
other words, it creates an environmental challenge to the construction
industry as well.
▪ Sustainability and environmental issues caused by growing economic
development has gained intensive statewide and worldwide attention.
▪ Since the construction industry is heavily involved in the economic
development and consumes great amount of resources and energy, its
impact on environment is significant.
▪ Therefore, it is necessary and urgent to regulate the construction and its
related performance to sustainable manners.
▪ The nanotechnology becomes a double-edge sword to the construction
industry. More research and practice efforts are needed with smart design
and planning, construction projects can be made sustainable and therefore
save energy, reduce resource usage, and avoid damages to environment.
▪ It is necessary to establish a system to identify the environmentally friendly and
sustainable of construction nanomaterials and to avoid the use of harmful
materials in the future.
 DISADVANTAGE :
▪ Loss of jobs (in manufacturing, farming, etc).
▪ Carbon Nanotubes could cause infection of lungs.
▪ It has very high initial investment costs along with high
manufacturing costs.
▪ Atomic weapons could be more accessible and destructive.