Researchers want a new generation of concrete. They are working on a material that has built-in energy harvesting and sensing capabilities.
Pittsburgh – Concrete is the building material that mankind has used most since the beginning of its existence. The idea for the building material dates back to the Roman Empire. The practice has changed little since then. But now researchers want to rethink classic concrete. The University of Pittsburgh is presenting a concept for a lightweight and mechanically tunable concrete system. They should have integrated energy generation and sensor functions, as the research team explains in a press release.
“Implies the need”: Researchers develop new generation of concrete
“Modern society has used concrete in construction for hundreds of years, after it was originally created by the ancient Romans,” explains Amir Alavi, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering in Pittsburgh and corresponding author of the study. “The massive use of concrete in our infrastructure projects implies the need to develop a new generation of concrete materials that are more economical and environmentally sustainable while still offering advanced functionalities,” says Alavi.
The concept is a concrete manufacturing process that allows the material’s properties such as brittleness, flexibility and formability to be fine-tuned, allowing builders to use less material without sacrificing strength or durability.
Intelligent concrete should generate electricity and operate sensors
In addition, the concrete should be able to generate electricity. Although the amount of electricity should not be sufficient to connect them to the power grid, the signals generated could be sufficient to supply sensors on the side of the road with electricity, for example.
An area of application for this method could therefore also be the monitoring of damage within a concrete structure. This could be an advantage, especially in earthquake zones, to check how badly a building was damaged after an earthquake and to what extent the stability of the objects is guaranteed.
Smart concrete can generate up to 330 microwatts of electricity
In road traffic, the technology could power chips in the street that help autonomous cars navigate the journey. This can be used in particular when GPS signals are too weak. The material consists of reinforced auxetic polymer lattices embedded in a conductive cement matrix.
The composite structure induces contact electrification between the layers when mechanically triggered. The conductive cement enriched with graphite powder serves as the electrode in the system. Experimental studies show that the material can compress by up to 15 percent under cyclic loading and generate up to 330 microwatts of power.
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