UNIT-IV

Titanium Dioxide Facade

LECTURE-11
ARC 1105: Advanced Materials

Prepared by Department of Design

Rohit Kumar
 The multi-talented substance titanium
dioxide is now being used as an active
ingredient in paint and building materials
that can remove pollutants from the air.

Imagine a city in which all the buildings

automatically clean polluted air without the
need for expensive filtration devices.
It sounds like something from a futuristic
world, but the reality is that the substance
titanium dioxide (TiO2) – which occurs in
nature – is already making this fight against
pollution a reality.

The latest independent research, for example,

found that nitrogen oxide and nitrogen
dioxide (NOx) levels can be reduced by
between 15 and 38 percent on a typical
London street.

Reference: https://tdma.info/the-buildings-that-clean-our-air/
 Uses:
Sunscreen and UV blocking pigments
Thin films
Pigment

Titanium dioxide, also known as titanium(IV) oxide or titania is the inorganic compound with the
chemical formula TiO2. When used as a pigment, it is called titanium white, Pigment White
6 (PW6). It is a white, water-insoluble solid. As a pigment, it has a wide range of applications,
including paint, sunscreen, and food coloring.
TiO2 is mainly produced from the mineral ilmenite.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_dioxide
Properties of Titanium:

▪ Metal (ninth most abundant element on earth)

▪ Pure metal is 99.6%
▪ Melting point is 1943 K, boiling point 3562K
▪ It burns in air and it is the only metal that burns in Nitrogen.
▪ When pure it is lustrous, white
▪ Excellent corrosion resistant.
▪ Strong as steel and 45% lighter.
▪ 60% heavier than aluminum and twice strong.
▪ It has low module of elasticity and low coefficient of expansion.
▪ It is not magnetic.

Sources of Titanium:
▪ On meteorites and sun
▪ On earth in igneous rocks.
▪ In ash, plants and animal bodies.
 The main reason of using TiO2, is that titanium
dioxide is a heterogeneous photocatalyst that uses
sunlight to absorb and render oxides of nitrogen
(NO and NO2) harmless by converting them to
nitrate ions (NO3), which then can be washed away
by rain or soaked into the concrete to form stable
compounds.

Picture: TiO2 behavior with NOx. Obtained from Noxer block proyect,

Reference: https://www.climatecolab.org/contests/2017/buildings/c/proposal/1334073
 From paint to pavements

Taking this one step further, the Eindhoven University of Technology has developed
a way to apply TiO2 to pavements making them ‘photocatalytic pavements’. This
concept can reduce smog in cities by between 19 and 45 percent, depending on
conditions.

Students from the University of California Riverside used a similar concept but
applied it to roof tiles. Each roof tile is simply covered with titanium dioxide and, as
they absorb sunlight throughout the day, the tiles remove the pollution from the air.

When used in a particular way, titanium dioxide’s ability to remove pollutants

directly from the air offers a huge opportunity in the fight to cut pollution levels. This
is particularly relevant in cities, which have both high levels of pollution and a huge
number of buildings.

There are limitations to using titanium dioxide on surfaces in the fight against local
air pollution, but it can be used in combination with other measures to make a
significant impact.

TiO2 provides a low-maintenance and cost-effective way to positively affect the

living conditions of millions of urban-based people through improved local air
quality.

Reference: https://www.pavetechinc.com/smog-eating-roads/
Anti microbial coating
Application in Building Industry:
• Atmosphere cleaning (NOx removal from the atmosphere)
• Deodorization (Indoor odor and volatile organic compound removal)
• Self-cleaning (Dirt removal for exterior building façade)
• Water treatment (Water sterilization and odor removal)
• Anti- bacterial (Bacteria growth elimination)
 https://tdma.info/the-buildings-that-clean-our-air/

Assignment 07:

Identify a construction material that behaves similar to TIO2 up to some extent and explain its application
in buildings.
Or
Create sketches based on brainstorming to solve an indoor living problem.