Pitt: Smart concrete

History

2023: Product Announcement

On March 20, 2023, American scientists from the University of Pittsburgh announced the development of a new type of concrete - one of the most common building materials in the world. The proposed solution for smart cities has advanced functionality, in particular, it can perform self-diagnostics and generate electric charge.

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, but also have improved properties. We believe that we can achieve all these goals by introducing the concept of metamaterials into the development of building mixtures, "said study author Amir Alavi.

Smart concrete can perform self-diagnostics and generate electric charge

Metamaterial consists of reinforced polymer lattices covered with a cement mixture that conducts electricity. Additionally, graphite powder is used, as a result of which some kind of electrode is formed. In this case, the mechanical trigger creates contact electrification between the layers. The energy generated by such a concrete coating is not enough to be transferred to the city power grid, but it can be used to monitor damage inside structures, for example, in the event of an earthquake.

It is noted that metamaterial parameters can be optimized depending on the task being performed. Among other things, you can change flexibility, shape and fragility. The researchers demonstrated that the new type of concrete is able to contract by 15% while maintaining its structural integrity. It is assumed that the material will be widely used in the future: it could be used, for example, as part of various shock-absorbing structures or as one of the components of smart roads.^[1]

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