Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
8
Thin fi lms and nanostructured coatings for
eco-effi cient buildings
C. G. GRANQVIST, Uppsala University, Sweden
DOI : 10.1533/9780857098832.2.161
Abstract : Thin fi lms and nanostructured coatings are becoming of
increasing importance for eco-effi cient construction. This chapter
discusses the underlying reasons why this is so and then introduces the
major technologies. They are subdivided into those requiring vacuum or
plasmas - with focus on evaporation and sputtering - and a range of
other techniques. Nanoparticle-based coatings are discussed separately,
with an emphasis on advanced gas deposition, deposition of carbon-
based structures, and microbial fabrication. Large-scale deposition is
treated in particular detail, and some views are given on future
developments.
Key words : thin fi lm, surface coating, nanostructure, deposition
technique, evaporation, sputtering, large-scale manufacturing, resource
availability.
8.1 Introduction
Thin fi lms and nanostructured coatings are essential for a number of eco-
effi cient technologies. We fi rst discuss why this is the case and start by
contemplating the world's population, which has grown from some one
billion in the year 1800 to about 2.5 billion in 1950 and is currently (2012)
around seven billion. The growth is not expected to stabilize until around
the year 2100, and then the population has reached a stunning ten billion
or more. In parallel to this population explosion, there has been an increase
in general standards of living, and people in the poorer countries expect - as
they rightly should - to have the same amenities and qualities of life that
people in the more affl uent countries are accustomed to. This means that
the demands on the world's resources are growing very rapidly and that we
at present make an unsustainable use of resources of every kind: water,
fuels, minerals, etc.
The dangers to humanity are not only direct and related to the exhaustion
of essential resources but also indirect, such as the burning of fossil fuels
(coal oil and gas) and fi rewood leading to carbon dioxide emission and
thereby to global warming, rising sea levels, harsher weather, increased risks
for the spreading of diseases, mass migrations, shifts of species' distributions,
etc. (IPCC, 2007, 2011; Chen et al. , 2011; de Sherbinin et al. , 2011a,b). The
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