New generations of construction materials thanks to nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is according to some experts the fourth industrial revolution, and there are some innovations applied in construction field.

The same as steam machine in 19 century. This is what nanotechnology can mean nowadays for technical development. With this tecnology, matter can be controled until molecular sizes, even atomic, what makes posible, for instance, to manufacturate nanotubes -mllionth of a meter-, where each atom is the place that manufacturer has chosen for it, as it was a brick in a house. This kind of pieces are used for highest precision machines.

The use of this technology is much more than a change of work size, since nanoparticles aren't ruled by traditional mechanic physic, but by quantum physic. This change of properties of matter in quantum size involves, among other things, a bigger catalization, a tunable wavelength, a diferent resistance, conductibility and elasticity. What in human size can be soft, in nanosize can stop being it. Getting profit about this knowledge, nanomaterials have already been used to elevate the performance of different construction materials.

Some of the astonishing applications of nanotechnology in materials field is for example, the developing of a paint with auto-cleaning and anti-grafitti. There some coatings of nanometric thickness that protect steel against rust, ceramic materials por W.C., that presents and smooth surface in nanometric size. This means that it doesn´t keep the dirt, and it doesn't need to be cleaned after using the pump.

Small norteamerican company Ecology Coatings has developed more than 200 patents of every kind of ecological paints and varnish based on an viscous solid without dissolvents, fluent enough to extend in all surfaces, and dries in 3 seconds. They are besides cheaper as traditional paints. Some of the big companies of the sector are already trembling. And this, whithout mentioning their plastifying paint for paper, that offers an impermeable nanocover against liquids but allows to print perfectly.

In words of Ottilia Saxl, director of Nanotechnology Institute of Stirling (Great Britain), "Nanotecnology offers us the posibility of designing materials with complety new features; it will allow us to change what we do and how we do it". And She adds: "Construction materials are not an exception, and they will be affected by 'nano-revolution' as well".

One of the products hitting strong in the market are nanoadditives for concrete. In this case, we won´t find materials controlled atom by atom during manufacturing process; technics were used only during the development phase of manufactuing process. Company Cognoscible Technologies has introduced in the market a new additive for concrete called Gaia, that can repleace traditional microsilica, and that offers several advantages. In words of his Founder and CEO, Miguel Ferrada, unique latin american winner of Innocentive Award, Gaia Additive lets an saving of until 40% of cement. "A liter bottle of Gaia equals a whole barrel of microsilica, extra cement and superplasticizers. If before a 2 meters thick beam was required to hold a bridge correctly, now only 75 cm are required. If before 28 days were necessary in order to achieve compressive strengths of 80MPa, now only 1 day is required".

"Challenge appeared -he continues- in 2003, when mayor underground copper mine in the world, El Teniente, located in Chile, asked me for an improvement used in their concrete". Ferrada already had experience in nanotecnology and created an additive where he didn´t work on silica microparticles, but on its nanoparticles, with the objetive of getting profit of this material in nanoscale. The new product, called Gaia, is the first additive able to substitute microsilica sold in liquid state, what means that disappears silica powder, dangerous for workers who handle it. This feature, among others, let Gaia to be used in ISO 14001 processes. Since then, El Teniente has forbidden microsilica use in its instalations.