Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) has been extensively investigated in interdisciplinary research (such as catalysis, energy, environment, health, etc.) owing to its attractive physico-chemical properties, abundant nature, chemical/environmental stability, low-cost manufacturing, low toxicity, etc. Over time, TiO₂-incorporated building/construction materials have been utilized for mitigating potential problems related to the environment and human health issues. However, there are challenges with regards to photocatalytic efficiency improvements, lab to industrial scaling up, and commercial product production. Several innovative approaches/strategies have been evolved towards TiO₂ modification with the focus of improving its photocatalytic efficiency. Taking these aspects into consideration, research has focused on the utilization of many of these advanced TiO₂ materials towards the development of construction materials such as concrete, mortar, pavements, paints, etc. This topical review focuses explicitly on capturing and highlighting research advancements in the last five years (mainly) (2014–2019) on the utilization of various modified TiO₂ materials for the development of practical photocatalytic building materials (PBM). We briefly summarize the prospective applications of TiO₂-based building materials (cement, mortar, concretes, paints, coating, etc.) with relevance to the removal of outdoor/indoor NO_x and volatile organic compounds, self-cleaning of the surfaces, etc. As a concluding remark, we outline the challenges and make recommendations for the future outlook of further investigations and developments in this prosperous area.

Since the advent of reforms and opening-up of China, the focus has been on urban development. However, rural development has garnered attention in recent years. This research explores energy performance improvement methods for rural houses in Xi’an, China. It aims to discuss the feasibility of designing a nearly zero-energy building (nZEB), based on typical residential rural housing in Xi’an, through proposing new construction methods and examining the strategies for the refurbishment of an existing house. Initially, a typical rural house was modelled based on data collected from a field survey and historical documents. Subsequently, suitable passive design strategies were explored in the rural house design both in terms of proposing new construction methods and examining the refurbishment strategies of an existing house. After implementation of the passive design, the annual energy demand was reduced from 112 kWh/m² to 68 kWh/m² (new construction) and from 112 kWh/m² to 85 kWh/m² (refurbished). Even though the passive design significantly reduced the energy demand of the house, it could not achieve the Chinese nZEB standard. Therefore, a photovoltaic (PV) system and a storage battery were incorporated to meet the standard. Eighty per cent of the south roof area of the newly constructed and refurbished house was installed with a PV system and a storage battery with a capacity of 50 kWh and 52 kWh, respectively. After installation of the proposed renewable energy, the annual energy demand from the house was decreased to 35 kWh/m² (new construction) and 51 kWh/m² (refurbished), which both achieved the Chinese nZEB standard (equal to or below 55 kWh/m²). The study shows the effectiveness of the methods used to design the nZEB and can be used to instruct the residents to build the nZEB in rural villages like Xi’an in China.

This study provides a systematic review of photocatalytic fiber coating technology as a potential solution to challenges in the textile industry. An analysis of recent research (2020–2024) reveals significant developments in materials and methods. Traditional photocatalysts (TiO₂ and ZnO) are being enhanced through doping and nanostructure control, and novel materials such as graphene-based composites and metal-organic frameworks are emerging. Advanced coating technologies, such as plasma treatment, atomic layer deposition, and magnetron sputtering, have been introduced to improve coating uniformity and durability. Key trends include the development of multifunctional coatings that combine self-cleaning, antibacterial effects, ultraviolet (UV) protection, and superhydrophobic properties. Environmental sustainability is advancing through eco-friendly manufacturing processes, although concerns regarding nanoparticle safety persist. While applications are expanding into medical textiles, protective gear, and wastewater treatment, challenges remain in terms of mass production technology, cost-effectiveness, and long-term durability. Future research should focus on nanostructure control, the development of visible-light-active materials, the optimization of coating processes, and the investigation of environmental impacts. This review suggests that photocatalytic fiber coating technology can significantly contribute to sustainable textile industry development when these challenges are effectively addressed.

Mechanical properties of concrete with bamboo chips as a potential source of aggregates have been investigated in this study.The measurement of this investigation includes slump loss, compressive strength, strain at peak compressive stress, modulus of elasticity, compressive toughness ratio, and splitting tensile strength. A 0.5-cm-thick bamboo chip was cut to a 1 cm (width) × 1 cm (height) piece and then dried, wetted, and coated to minimize water absorption.The coarse aggregates in the concrete specimen were replaced with 10%, 20%, and 30% (by volume) of each bamboo chip. The testing results showed that the compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of concrete with bamboo chips decrease with increasing bamboo chip content (BCC). It is considered that the decrease of strengths is due to the weak bond between the mortar and the bamboo chip.

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂), the golden standard among the photocatalysts, exhibits a varying level of photocatalytic activities (PCA) amongst the synthetically prepared and commercially available products. For commercial applications, superior photoactivity and cost-effectiveness are the two main factors to be reckoned with. This study presents the development of simple, cost-effective post-treatment processes for a less costly TiO₂ to significantly enhance the PCA to the level of expensive commercial TiO₂ having demonstrated superior photoactivities. We have utilized sequential calcination and ball milling (BM) post-treatment processes on a less-costlier KA100 TiO₂ and demonstrated multi-fold (nearly 90 times) enhancement in PCA. The post-treated KA100 samples along with reference commercial samples (P25, NP400, and ST01) were well-characterized by appropriate instrumentation and evaluated for the PCA considering acetaldehyde photodegradation as the model reaction. Lattice parameters, phase composition, crystallite size, surface functionalities, titanium, and oxygen electronic environments were evaluated. Among post-treated KA100, the sample that is subjected to sequential 700 °C calcination and BM (KA7-BM) processes exhibited 90-fold PCA enhancement over pristine KA100 and the PCA-like commercial NP400 (pure anatase-based TiO₂). Based on our results, we attribute the superior PCA for KA7-BM due to the smaller crystallite size, the co-existence of mixed anatase-srilankite-rutile phases, and the consequent multiphase heterojunction formation, higher surface area, lattice disorder/strain generation, and surface oxygen environment. The present work demonstrates a feasible potential for the developed post-treatment strategy towards commercial prospects.

A facile and cost-effective approach assisted by ball milling (BM) of commercial titanium dioxide (TiO₂), has been utilized to develop cheaper and efficient construction materials. At least three of the commercial and cheaper TiO₂ samples (BA01-01, BA01-01+ and R996, designated as A1, A4 and R1, respectively) were selected and subjected to BM treatment to enhance their photocatalytic efficiencies, if possible. It was noted, that the samples A1, A4 and R1 were typical composites of TiO₂ and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) and contained varying proportions of anatase, and rutile phases of TiO₂ and CaCO₃. Two of the highly efficient commercial TiO₂ samples, Degussa P25 (simply designated as P25) and ST01 (Ishihara Ind.) were selected for making benchmark comparisons of photocatalytic efficiencies. The BM treated TiO₂ samples (designated as TiO₂-BM with respect to A1, A4 and R1) were evaluated for photocatalytic efficiencies both in both aqueous (methylene blue (MB)) and gaseous (NO_x) photodegradation reactions. Based on detailed comparative investigations, it was observed that A1-BM photocatalyst exhibited superior photocatalytic performances over A4-BM and R1-BM, towards both MB and NO_x photodegradation reactions. The difference of NO_x photodegradation efficiency between the mortar mixed with A1-BM and that mixed with ST01, and P-25 at 15% were 16.6%, and 32.4%, respectively. Even though the mortar mixed with A1-BM at 15% composition exhibited a slightly lower NO_x photodegradation efficiency as compared to mortar mixed with the expensive ST01 and P-25 photocatalysts, the present work promises an economic application in the eco-friendly construction materials for air purification considering the far lower cost of A1. The reasons for the superior performance of A1-BM were deduced through characterization of optical properties, surface characteristics, phase composition, morphology, microstructure and particle size distribution between pristine and BM treated A1 using characterization techniques such as diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy and particle size analysis.