Coating methods for self-cleaning thick films of titania

The present work provides a brief but wide ranging survey of the different methods that may be used to apply thick films of titanium dioxide for self-cleaning building materials. This survey is preceded by a general description of the photocatalytic applications of TiO2, a tabulated list of some relevant properties of the three naturally occurring polymorphs of TiO2 and a tabulated survey of world market shares and resources of TiO2. The survey of coating technologies consists of succinct coverage of twenty potential periodic and continuous routes for the application of liquid borne suspensions of TiO2 to building units. This coverage consists mainly of an illustration accompanied by relevant comments concerning the advantages and disadvantages of each method.