Nanotechnology in construction industry

Talk to a partner.

1. What is nanotechnology?

2. Which country leads in nanotechnology?

3. How can nanotechnology be applied in construction industry?

4. Is nanotechnology changing the face of the construction industry?

5.  Are there any safety or environmental issues with the nanotechnologies in use today?

 

In pairs, explain the highlighted words and phrases in the text.

 

Constructing better buildings using nanotechnology

Nanomaterials are poised for widespread use in the construction industry, where they can offer significant advantages for a variety of applications ranging from making more durable concrete to self-cleaning windows. But widespread use in building materials comes with potential environmental and health risks when those materials are thrown away. Those are the conclusions of a new study published by Rice University engineering researchers this month in ACS Nano.

"The advantages of using nanomaterials in construction are enormous," said study co-author Pedro Alvarez, Rice's George R. Brown Professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. "When you consider that 41 percent of all energy use in the U.S. is consumed by commercial and residential buildings, the potential benefits of energy-saving materials alone are vast.

"But there are reasonable concerns about unintended consequences as well," Alvarez said. "The time for responsible lifecycle engineering of man-made nanomaterials in the construction industry is now, before they are introduced in environmentally relevant concentrations."

Alvarez and co-authors Jaesang Lee, a postdoctoral researcher at Rice, and Shaily Mahendra, now an assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, note that nanomaterials will likely have a greater impact on the construction industry than any other sector of the economy, after biomedical and electronics applications. They cite dozens of potential applications. For example, nanomaterials can strengthen both steel and concrete, keep dirt from sticking to windows, kill bacteria on hospital walls, make materials fire-resistant, drastically improve the efficiency of solar panels, boost the efficiency of indoor lighting and even allow bridges and buildings to "feel" the cracks, corrosion and stress that will eventually cause structural failures.

Read the article and mark the sentences T (true) or F (false).

1. Nanomaterials are widespread use in the construction industry.

2. Nanomaterials will likely have a greater impact on the construction industry than any other sector of the economy.

3. There are no health risks when nanomaterials are thrown away..

4. 70 percent of all energy use is consumed by commercial and residential buildings.

5. There are dozens of potential applications of nanomaterials.

Write words for the definitions.

1. A composite material composed of coarse granular material (the aggregate or filler) embedded in a hard matrix of material (the cement or binder) that fills the space among the aggregate particles and glues them together.

____________________________

2. A field that takes a materials science-based approach on nanotechnology.

____________________________

3. An alloy of iron and a small amount of carbon.

____________________________

4. A set of solar photovoltaic modules electrically connected and mounted on a supporting structure.

____________________________

5. The gradual destruction of materials, (usually metals), by chemical reaction with its environment.

____________________________

Answer the questions.

1. Do you agree that nanomaterials “have a greater impact on the construction industry than any other sector of the economy, after biomedical and electronics applications”?

2. What are the benefits of using nanomaterials?

3. What are the drawbacks of using nanomaterials?

4. What are the potential applications of nanomaterials?

5. What do you think about using nanomaterials in building?

INNOVATIONS IN CONSTRUCTION