"From the simple awning, to the automated systems, which we find mainly in large buildings abroad, for example, in Germany or Great Britain, the possibilities we have for sun protection and protection from the effects of thermal changes, are now many Said the architect Klio Axarli, professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and speaker at an Infacoma 2012 event.
For example, there are nanotechnology materials that are photostimulated, become more compact or change color when the sun sees them or "smart" materials that seal the "openings" of the building.
Of particular interest to the construction industry are the Phase Changing Materials (PCMs), which - in simple words - can store sufficient quantities of heat in a small area.
The latent heat, which they release during their phase change (eg, when they change from solid to liquid or from liquid to gaseous form), opens new avenues for energy savings in the building sector (and beyond).
"So instead of a thick stone wall, we can have a much thinner one with almost equivalent results. "20 years ago, all this was considered completely experimental and today it is even integrated in plasterboard", noted Ms. Axarli.
Indicatively, according to other sources, the heat absorbed by a plasterboard only 3 cm thick, but which incorporates PCMs at a rate of 30%, is approximately equivalent to that stored by a 23 cm brick wall (within the comfort temperatures) .
However, according to a report by the EU Nanotechnology Observatory (August 2010), nanotechnology currently has a very small share of the insulation / thermal management market in the building sector. The products of this kind that are on the market have a high price and are installed in only a small number of buildings, usually on a pilot basis.
"However, it is clear that the sector is growing. The global aerogels market was estimated at $ 2008 million in 82,9 and is expected to reach $ 646,3 million in 2013. Today the main markets for this [nanotechnology product] are located outside the construction industry [in sectors] such as the insulation of submarine gas and oil pipelines or the space industry ", the report underlines (s.s. aerogels are extremely light materials with high strength.
They consist of the three-dimensional, continuous networks of Boundaries in the air, which is trapped in the nanocells, since it is porous and the air is trapped, the aerogels are used in insulation with excellent results).
"To date, research on products such as aerogels and nanofoams in Europe is below critical mass, despite collaborations initiated during the Framework Programs for Research and Technological Development," the report said. , that large European chemical industries are increasing their interest in these materials, focusing their efforts on organic "nanofoams" and finding less expensive production methods. These products are estimated to be on the market by 2015-2020.
In the US, the market for nanotechnology-based building materials is estimated to reach $ 400 million by 2016, a size that may remain small but represents a leap from less than $ 20 million. $ 2006 billion annually is estimated to be invested globally in research and development of nanotechnology products.
Source: Nooz.gr