NANOPARTICLES

IN CONCRETE

NANOTECHNOLOGY
IS NOT A NEW EMERGENT TECHNOLOGY
NANOSIZED OBJECTS HAVE EXISTED FOR MILLENNIA
FROM ANCIENT TIMES WHEN HUMANS BEGAN TO USE NANOSIZED MATERIALS
IN GLASS, TO MODERN TIMES WHERE "CLASSIC" PHOTOGRAPHY EMPLOYS
SILVER NANOPARTICLES SENSITIVE TO LIGHT
ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING DIRECTIONS IN NANOTECHNOLOGY IS A BETTER
UNDERSTANDING OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MICROSTRUCTURE AND
STRENGTHENING MECHANISMS EMPLOYED BY NATURE WITH THE GOAL TO
ULTIMATELY MIMIC NATURES DESIGN PRINCIPLE AND SELF-ORGANIZATION.

CONCRETE
CONCRETE CAN BE NANO-ENGINEERED BY INCORPORATING NANO-SIZED
BUILDING BLOCKS OR OBJECTS TO CONTROL MATERIAL BEHAVIOR AND ADD
NOVEL PROPERTIES, OR BY GRAFTING MOLECULES ONTO CEMENT PARTICLES,
CEMENT PHASES, AGGREGATES, AND ADDITIVES TO PROVIDE SURFACE
FUNCTIONALITY, WHICH CAN BE ADJUSTED TO PROMOTE SPECIFIC
INTERFACIAL INTERACTIONS.

OBJETIVE

DEFINE WHAT NANOPARTICLES ARE;

ANALYZE THEIR DIFFERENT CAUSES
AND EFFECTS IN CONCRETE AND
ENGINEERING BUILDINGS.

PERFORMANCE OF CONCRETE WITH NANOPARTICLES

THE ADDITION OF NANOPARTICLES HAS BEEN

SHOWN TO IMPROVE VARIOUS PERFORMANCE OF
CONCRETE. FOR EXAMPLE, NANO SILICA HAS
BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE WORKABILITY AND
STRENGTH IN HIGH-PERFORMANCE AND SELFCOMPACTING
CONCRETE.
IMPROVEMENT
IN
CONCRETE PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN ATTRIBUTED
TO SEVERAL EFFECTS OF THE NANOPARTICLES.

CONCLUSIONS
NEW DEVELOPMENTS ARE UNDERWAY IN THE NANO ENGINEERING OF
CONCRETE. SOME OF THE MOST PROMISING INCLUDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF:
1.

CONCRETE WITH SMART PROPERTIES SUCH AS TEMPERATURE-, MOISTURE-,

OR STRESS-SENSING CAPABILITY, DEFORMITIES PROPERTIES, AND NONSHRINKING AND LOW THERMAL EXPANSION.