Bronya : The revolution in liquid thermal insulation
Thermal insulation materials based on nanotechnology have appeared in the building industry. These days they only feature in a narrow range of practice, but they offer many potential applications. These options are unknown to most architects, who may simply be afraid of them due to the often contradictory special literature on the subject.
Therefore, they are suspicious and prefer to postulate conventional and usual technologies. This article is intended to provide an information base on thermal systems based on nanotechnology of insulation materials for designers. It describes their most important principles of functional properties, applications and their potential uses in construction.
1. Introduction
The prefix “nano” is derived from the Greek “nanos”, meaning “dwarf”. Nano (symbol:n) is an SI prefix meaning one billionth. In the metric system, this prefix denotes a factor of 10-9. Nanotechnology is science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale, approximately 1 to 100 nanometers. It is the study of building things from the bottom up with the atom.
The term “nanotechnology” was first used by Japanese scientist, Norio Taniguchi (1912-1999) in 1974, although it is not widely known. The first fundamental studies on nanotechnology were written by Claes-Göran Granqvist (1946-) and Robert A. Buhrman (1944-) in 1976. However, the term was not used again until 1981 when Kim Eric Drexler (1955-), who was unaware of Taniguchi’s earlier use of the term, published his first paper about nanotechnology. He popularized the concept of nanotechnology and founded the field of molecular nanotechnology. In his 1986 book, Engine of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology, he proposed the idea of a nanoscale assembler. Also in 1986, Drexler co-founded the Foresight Institute to help raise public awareness and understanding of the concepts and implications of nanotechnology.
2. Thermal insulation materials based on nanotechnology
Nanotechnology can also be used in architecture. Coatings based on nanoparticles such as our Bronya products generally have better thermal insulation quality than traditional materials. They can provide better adhesion, transparency, self-cleaning, corrosion and fire protection.
There are three modes of heat transport of traditional thermal insulation materials: thermal conduction (vibration of molecules inside cell walls), heat flow (between air walls of particles enclosed in cells) and thermal radiation (between opposing cell walls). In thermal insulation materials based on nanotechnology, one or more means of heat transport is troublesome and disturbing. That is why they can decrease the heat transfer coefficient of the building structure. The well-known formula for the heat transfer coefficient is:
The U-value can be reduced significantly by the use of nano-ceramic thermal insulation coatings. There is then a reduction by convection of the heat transfer coefficient on the insulated surface. Bronya liquid insulation coating products reduce the convective heat transfer coefficient by either hi or he depending on the insulated side of the insulated surface.
3. Ownership, operation, performance
Our Bronya thermal insulation products contain microscopic cellular ceramic microspheres with a diameter of 20 -120 μm. These vacuum hollow balls were made of high gas pressure and high temperature (1500°C) molten ceramic. After cooling, the pressure stops, leaving a vacuum inside the microspheres. Their binding material is a synthetic blend of rubber and other polymers. The main components are styrene (20%) and acrylic latex (80%). The styrene guarantees the mechanical resistance while the acrylic latex makes these materials weatherproof and offers sufficient flexibility. Thus, other environmental additives (biocides, antifouling and antifungal materials) make the end product Bronya durable and mold resistant.
Thermal transmission processes occur in these oscopic vacuum micro-spaces in traditional methods. There are small ceramic microsphere interfaces and cell walls that are so thin that they slow down heat conduction. Heat flow is also unstable in vacuum micro-spaces. Air particles collide with cell walls rather than each other, so they are almost unable to transport heat energy. The inner surface of ceramic microspheres functions as a thermal mirror and reflects 60-80% of heat rays.
Our Nano-Ceramic Thermal Insulation Bronya Liners are flexible, non-toxic, mildew-free, UV, fire and chemical resistant, washable and environmentally friendly; they form a monolithic membrane that fills capillary cracks. It can stick well to all types of surfaces such as concrete, ceramic, plaster, metal, glass, wood and plastic. Bronya coatings are generally used for exterior and interior wall insulation, but they are also suitable for insulation and protection of pipes against fire and corrosion. They can be easily transmitted to hard-to-reach sites. Their main advantage is that they can be applied in places where this is not possible for thick thermal insulation panels.
After mixing the ceramic microspheres with the additive and water binder material, a brush, roller or airless spray can be used on the surface to be insulated. To ensure adequate and even coverage, spray and roll techniques are advised. Each coat should be sprayed in the same direction to avoid showing ripples and other imperfections on the wall. Very small areas can be brushed. White and almost any custom color is available, but darker colors give a low degree of reflectivity. For coloring Bronya products, a certain consistency must be respected (colorant-product ratio).
All surfaces must be clean and free of laitance, dust, dirt, rust, oil or grease before application. Surfaces should be cleaned to remove any loose or flaking paint or other foreign matter. No primer is usually required, but is recommended on drywall and some pipes. Typically two coats of Bronya Nano-Ceramic are required, the first of which sometimes acts as a primer coat. When the coating is applied by brush, three cross coats are required for insulation. The drying time of a layer depends on the temperature (at 20 ° C it takes s 4-5 hours).
4. Conclusion
Bronya nano-ceramic thermal insulation coatings are considered to be a practical and attractive solution for increased energy efficiency. Unlike other materials, nano-ceramic thermal insulating coatings are capable of producing adequate thermal insulation value to build extremely thin layered structures. Their high thermal resistance does not depend on their thickness (like traditional materials) but on their high resistance to surface heat transfer.
For technical details, we refer to specialist literature and highly reliable product information from our manufacturer Volgograd Innovations Resource Center. We can thus provide useful information and technical parameters useful to the practice of architects for the planning of building constructions as well as technical parameters that can be used for other energy calculations of the building.
Jacques Loranger
President
Les revêtements Bronya Canada
*This information was taken from an article published in another country. The information collected will be used for informational purposes only. The reference :Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 29-41, 2016 DOI: 10.14513/actatechjaur.v9.n1.391 Available online at acta.sze.hu
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