Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) material: Critical issues and applications with emphasis on buildings

Abstract

The present article is a critical review about ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) material, with emphasis on building applications since ETFE is promising for the building sector, offering multiple advantages (elastic and low-weight structures, etc.) from different points of view. Selected references about ETFE properties are presented, revealing that ETFE material presents resistance to temperature/aging, mechanical strength and chemical resistance. In addition, studies about light transmission/insulation of ETFE material for building applications are included, showing that ETFE cushion insulating characteristics can be further improved by utilizing additional layers while some studies refer to ETFE decay in terms of light and solar transmittance performances after some months of exposure. Investigations which compare ETFE with glass are also presented, revealing that ETFE offers many advantages, in comparison with glass, from different points of view. A separate part of the article is about ETFE environmental profile and the literature review demonstrates that most of the investigations (which include LCA (life cycle assessment)/environmental issues about ETFE) evaluate embodied energy (the findings show values from 26.5 to 210 MJ/kg). Concerning 2 ETFE applications, the literature review reveals that ETFE can be used for different applications (roofs, façades, atria, in combination with PV (photovoltaic) technology, etc.). Moreover, additional issues (acoustics, shading, etc.) are presented and critically discussed. Furthermore, a separate part with case studies is included. In this way, the present article offers useful information about ETFE, based on different factors, focusing on ETFE applications for buildings and constructions.

Evaluation of Reducing NO and SO2 Concentration in Nano SiO2-TiO2 Photocatalytic Concrete Blocks

“…This chamber was fabricated from transparent ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) film to enable natural sunlight and ambient temperatures to govern the photochemical reactions occurring inside the chamber. The ETFE film was selected as the membrane material for the full-scale chamber structure because of its lightweight, high tensile strength, good durability, and high solar transmittance [ 44 , 45 ]. A previous study proved that ETFE films could supply sufficient natural sunlight for the photochemical reaction in the environment chambers, at an average of approximately 89% natural sunlight transmission at 300–1000 nm [ 46 ].…”

The effects of angular orientation and ultraviolet aging on ETFE wire flame spread

“…ETFE is one of the most promising plastics with several applications in commercial building and cable insulation nowadays. The thickness ( δ p ) of 0.15‐mm‐thick ETFE was chosen as an insulator to coat the copper (Cu) core with a diameter ( d c ) of 0.5 mm.…”

Building-Integrated Photovoltaic/Thermal (BIPVT): LCA of a façade-integrated prototype and issues about human health, ecosystems, resources

“…ETFE can be used as a lightweight cladding for buildings, offering flexible constructions, modern building designs and around 95% light transmission. The combination of ETFE with BIPVT has been discussed, for example, in the review article by Lamnatou et al (2018a).…”