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Applied Sciences
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Nanotechnology in Cement-Based Construction: Trends and Challenges
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Nanotechnology in Cement-Based Construction: Trends and Challenges

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 8220

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Antonella D'Alessandro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy
Interests: SHM; assessment, strengthening and repair of structures; structural health monitoring; structural testing and modeling; smart materials; self-sensing materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the few last years, nanotechnology has experienced great development, due to new nanomaterials available in the market and the multifunctional applications of nano-modified composites in various fields of science and engineering. In particular, the construction field appears devoted to improving through the use of nanomaterials: improvements to physical, mechanical, thermal properties, or novel multifunctionalities, such as electromagnetic shielding, self-sensing, and self-healing capabilities, could increase the service life of structures and the comfort and the safety of their users. Among structural materials, cement-based materials can strongly benefit from nanotechnology due to their versatility and easiness of tailoring, and greatly boost their durability or mechanical, environmental, and energy performance.

This Special Issue will investigate the progress of new nanomaterials for cement-based composites and their applications in structures and infrastructures. Research about tailored nanoparticles and nano-modified cementitious composites are welcome, as well as laboratory/in situ investigations on elements or structures made of nanomaterials.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Novel nanomaterials for civil engineering applications
  • Nano cement-based composites with enhanced or novel capabilities (physical, chemical, mechanical, thermal, electrical, etc.)
  • Innovative techniques to produce nano-modified or nano-added cementitious materials
  • Mechanical properties of cement-based elements or structures produced by nanotechnology
  • Electrical, optical, and thermal properties of cementitious nanocomposites
  • Self-healing and monitoring properties of cement-based nanomodified materials and elements
  • Structural and infrastructural applications of nano-modified cement-based composites for smart systems and smart cities
  • Energy and environmental applications of cement-based nanomaterials
  • Applications of nanomaterials in real cement-based constructions.

Dr. Antonella D'Alessandro
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanotechnology in civil engineering
  • smart multifunctional materials
  • structures and infrastructures
  • innovative composite materials
  • new materials for restoration and construction
  • mechanical and thermal properties
  • enhanced properties
  • smart cities
  • sustainability
  • smart applications of nanotechnology in constructions

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3617 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Fly Ash on the Mechanical Performance of Cementitious Materials Produced with Recycled Cement
by Blas Cantero, Miguel Bravo, Jorge de Brito, Isabel Fuencisla Sáez del Bosque and César Medina
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 2257; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app12042257 - 21 Feb 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2023
Abstract
Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world; as such, the best way to promote a more sustainable construction industry is to improve the environmental performance of this material. Since cement production is the main source of the high environmental [...] Read more.
Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world; as such, the best way to promote a more sustainable construction industry is to improve the environmental performance of this material. Since cement production is the main source of the high environmental impact of concrete, due to the high calcination temperature that clinker requires, replacing this binder with recycled cement would allow for the establishment of a new concrete design with a much lower ecological footprint. This research intends to analyse the mechanical performance of mortars with recycled cement and fly ash. Mixes with two replacement ratios of recycled cement (5% and 10%) were studied separately or in combination with fly ash (10% and 20%). An exhaustive experimental programme was designed to assess the variation in air content, density, compressive and flexural strengths, modulus of elasticity, and ultrasonic pulse velocity. The results suggest that the simultaneous use of recycled cement and fly ash improves the mechanical performance of mortars relative to those with recycled cement only or fly ash only. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanotechnology in Cement-Based Construction: Trends and Challenges)
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12 pages, 2630 KiB  
Article
Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes with Different Types of Superplasticizer as a Dispersing Agent for Self-Sensing Cementitious Materials
by Pedro de Almeida Carísio, Yasmim Gabriela dos Santos Mendonça, Carlos Fernando Teodósio Soares, Oscar Aurelio Mendoza Reales, Eduardo de Moraes Rego Fairbairn and Romildo Dias Toledo Filho
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(18), 8452; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11188452 - 12 Sep 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2725
Abstract
Due to their exceptional electrical properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be applied as conductive fillers to develop self-sensing cement-based matrices. In order to obtain an adequate self-sensing response, CNTs must be evenly dispersed through the cement matrix in a volume sufficient enough to [...] Read more.
Due to their exceptional electrical properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be applied as conductive fillers to develop self-sensing cement-based matrices. In order to obtain an adequate self-sensing response, CNTs must be evenly dispersed through the cement matrix in a volume sufficient enough to create an electric percolation network. This is challenged by the difficulty of dispersing CNTs; therefore, there is a demand for an efficient dispersing agent that can be filled by superplasticiezers, which are products of known compatibility with cement and high availability. This research explores the use of four commercial superplasticizers available in Brazil, both naphthalene and ether polycarboxylate-based, as dispersing agents for CNTs in water. Ultrasonic energy was applied to aqueous solutions containing CNTs and superplasticizers. UV–Vis spectroscopy and ξ-potential measurements were used to investigate which superplasticizer was more effective to disperse the CNTs. Cement pastes were produced with the CNT dispersions and their electrical resistivity was measured. It was found that only superplasticizers without aliphatic groups in their structure were capable of dispersing CNTs in water. It was concluded that second-generation naphthalene-based superplasticizers were more efficient dispersing agents for CNTs than third-generation ether polycarboxylate-based ones for self-sensing applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanotechnology in Cement-Based Construction: Trends and Challenges)
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Review

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24 pages, 2553 KiB  
Review
Applications of Cement-Based Smart Composites to Civil Structural Health Monitoring: A Review
by Paolino Cassese, Carlo Rainieri and Antonio Occhiuzzi
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(18), 8530; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11188530 - 14 Sep 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2280
Abstract
In recent years, cement-based smart composites (CSCs) doped with conductive filler have attracted increasing research interest because of their high potentiality as self-sensing materials for civil Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) applications. Nevertheless, several issues are still open and need further studies. This paper [...] Read more.
In recent years, cement-based smart composites (CSCs) doped with conductive filler have attracted increasing research interest because of their high potentiality as self-sensing materials for civil Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) applications. Nevertheless, several issues are still open and need further studies. This paper presents an extensive state-of-the-art in which investigations on CSCs are summarized and critically revised, with the primary aim of outlining the main limits and development points. The literature review first addresses in detail several specific issues related to fabrication and operation as sensing elements of CSC samples. State-of-the-art applications of CSCs to SHM of reduced-, medium- and full-scale structural prototypes are extensively reviewed afterwards, resulting in a database useful to critically revise the main trends and open issues of the research in this field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanotechnology in Cement-Based Construction: Trends and Challenges)
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