Nanoforum Report: Nanotechnology and Construction ______________ November 2006 Report on Nanotechnology and Construction Nanotechnology and Construction Surinder Mann Institute of Nanotechnology 31/10/2006 Page 1 of 55 Report on Nanotechnology and Construction Contents Nanoforum reports.....................................................................................................................3 About Nanoforum ......................................................................................................................4 Executive Summary...................................................................................................................5 Introduction................................................................................................................................6 So what is nanotechnology?.......................................................................................................6 Nanotechnology and Concrete...................................................................................................8 Nanotechnology and Steel .......................................................................................................13 Nanotechnology and Wood......................................................................................................14 Nanotechnology and Glass ......................................................................................................15 Nanotechnology and Coatings .................................................................................................16 Nanotechnology and Fire Protection and Detection ................................................................16 Nanotechnology in Sustainability and the Environment .........................................................17 Discussion of Survey Results...................................................................................................20 Analysis of Survey Responses.................................................................................................20 Segment Analysis of Respondents.......................................................................................20 Knowledge of Nanotechnology ...........................................................................................24 Current Work in Nanotechnology........................................................................................26 Respondents Thoughts about the Future..............................................................................30 Resources for Research........................................................................................................33 Conclusion and Recommendations..........................................................................................36 References................................................................................................................................38 APPENDIX A..........................................................................................................................40 APPENDIX B ..........................................................................................................................43 APPENDIX C ..........................................................................................................................55 Page 2 of 55 Report on Nanotechnology and Construction Nanoforum reports The Nanoforum consortium has produced a number of reports on nanotechnology in Europe, all of which are available for free download from www.nanoforum.org General Reports: • 1st Nanoforum General Report: “Nanotechnology Helps Solve the World’s Energy Problems”, first edition published in July 2003, updated in December 2003 and April 2004. • 2nd Nanoforum General Report: “Nanotechnology in the Candidate Countries; Who’s Who and Research Priorities”, first edition published in July 2003, updated in November 2003. Revised edition published September 2005. • 3rd Nanoforum General Report: “Nanotechnology and its Implications for the Health of the EU Citizen”, first edition published in December 2003. • 4th Nanoforum General Report: “Benefits, Risks, Ethical, Legal and Social Aspects of Nanotechnology”, first edition published in June 2004, updated October 2005. • 5th Nanoforum General Report: “European Nanotechnology Education Catalogue”, first edition published in March 2005. • 6th Nanoforum General Report: “European Nanotechnology Infrastructure and Networks”, first published in July 2005. • 7th Nanoforum General Report: “European Support for Nanotechnology SMEs”, first published in December 2005. • 8th Nanoforum General Report: “Nanometrology”, first published in July 2006. Series socio-economic reports: • “VC Investment opportunities for small innovative companies”, April 2003. • “Socio-economic report on Nanotechnology and Smart Materials for Medical Devices”, December 2003. • “SME participation in European Research Programmes”, October 2004. Series background studies to policy seminars: • “Nanotechnology in the Nordic Region”, July 2003. • “Nano-Scotland from a European Perspective”, November 2003. Others: • “Nanotechnology in the EU – Bioanalytical and Biodiagnostic Techniques”, September 2004. • “Outcome of the Open Consultation on the European Strategy for Nanotechnology”, December 2004. • “Funding and Support for International Nanotechnology Collaborations”, December 2005. • “Nanotechnology in Agriculture and Food”, May 2006. • “Nanotechnology in Consumer Goods”, October 2006. Page 3 of 55 Report on Nanotechnology and Construction About Nanoforum This European Union sponsored (FP5) Thematic Network provides a comprehensive source of information on all areas of nanotechnology to the business, scientific and social communities. The main vehicle for the thematic network is the dedicated website www.nanoforum.org. Nanoforum encompasses partners from different disciplines, brings together existing national and regional networks, shares best practice on dissemination of national, EU-wide and Venture Capital funding to boost SME creation, provides a means for the EU to interface with networks, stimulates nanotechnology in underdeveloped countries, stimulates young scientists, publicises good research and forms a network of knowledge and expertise. Nanoforum aims to provide a linking framework for all nanotechnology activity within the European Community. It serves as a central location, from which to gain access to and information about research programmes, technological developments, funding opportunities and future activities in nanotechnology within the community. The Nanoforum consortium consists of: The Institute of Nanotechnology (UK) www.nano.org.uk VDI Technologiezentrum (Germany) www.vditz.de/ CEA-Leti (France) www-leti.cea.fr/uk/index-uk.htm Malsch TechnoValuation (Netherlands) www.malsch.demon.nl/ METU (Turkey) www.physics.metu.edu.tr/ Monte Carlo Group (Bulgaria) http://cluster.phys.uni-sofia.bg:8080/ Unipress (Poland) www.unipress.waw.pl/ ENTA (UK) www.euronanotrade.com Spinverse (Finland) www.spinverse.com FFG (Austria) www.ffg.at/ NanoNed (Netherlands) www.stw.nl/nanoned/ For further information please contact the coordinator, Mark Morrison: [email protected] Page 4 of 55 Report on Nanotechnology and Construction Executive Summary Nanotechnology is the use of very small particles of material either by themselves or by their manipulation to create new large scale materials. The size of the particles, though, is very important because at the length scale of the nanometre, 10-9m, the properties of the material actually become affected. The precise size at which these changes are manifested varies between materials, but is usually in the order of 100 nm or less. Nanotechnology is not a new science and it is not a new technology. It is rather an extension of the sciences and technologies that have already been in development for many years and it is the logical progression of the work that has been done to examine the nature of our world at an ever smaller scale. A nanometre is a billionth of a metre and at that size the classical mechanics of the everyday cross over into the quantum mechanics of the nano-world. The two are, of course, linked and recent developments in the study and manipulation of materials and processes at the nanoscale offer the tantalizing prospect of producing new macro materials, properties and products. The construction business will inevitably be a beneficiary of this nanotechnology; in fact it already is in the fields of concrete, steel and glass. Concrete is stronger, more durable and more easily placed, steel tougher and glass self-cleaning. Increased strength and durability are also a part of the drive to reduce the environmental footprint of the built environment by the efficient use of resources. This is achieved both prior to the construction process by a reduction in pollution during the production of materials (e.g. cement) and also in service, through efficient use of energy due to advancements in insulation. These and many other effects of nanotechnology on the industry are discussed in the report together with comments from researchers and industry professionals. Two nano-sized particles that stand out in their application to construction materials are titanium dioxide (TiO2) and carbon nanotubes (CNT’s). The former is being used for its ability to break down dirt or pollution and then allow it to be washed off by rain water on everything from concrete to glass and the latter is being used to strengthen