Emerging Materials and Technologies to Deal with Building Deterioration

Abstract

A building structure or one of its components has deteriorated or become unstable when it is said to be deteriorating due to mechanical, physical, chemical, environmental, and external forces. It is caused by human, chemical, and environmental factors, such as solar radiation, temperature effects, humidity, moisture, biological agents, solid liquid or gaseous air pollutants, ground salts and waters, and wind movements, earthquakes, cyclones. The construction is complete when occupants use the building to its optimum capacity and preserve its resources for as long as possible. The most important details are that building deterioration is caused by an aggressive environment, the use of deleterious raw material of local fine aggregates or creek sand with a high content of salt, and the durability of individual building materials and structures built of them. Concrete is the most used material on Earth, Its main binder, Portland cement, is responsible for 80% of the total CO₂ emissions and is expected to increase by 200% by 2050. High performance thermal insulator materials are necessary for eco-efficient construction, such as nonporous thermal insulators and partial vacuum thermal insulators. Nano clay modifications can increase stiffness and ageing resistances, and silica nanogel can be used to construct highly energy-efficient windows. A recent report shows that the need for energy-efficient buildings is rising quickly on a worldwide scale. Recent nanotechnology achievements have led to materials and technologies with exceptional performance and biodegradability, such as abalone shells made with 0.2 mm thickness layers, spider silk with a strength/mass ratio that exceeds steel, and natural glue produced by mussels and barnacles. Emerging technologies such as 3D printing, artificial intelligence, augmented (mixed) reality, building information modelling (BIM), drones, mobile technology, robotics, and virtual prototyping offer increased efficiency.