Durable Infrastructure Materials Modified by self-assembled hollow nanostructured materials

Project Information

DIMMs

Grant agreement ID: 846028

DOI

10.3030/846028

Project closed

EC signature date 25 July 2019

Start date 1 January 2021

End date 8 June 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 224 933,76

EU contribution

€ 224 933,76

Coordinated by

ASTON UNIVERSITY
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DIMMs (Durable Infrastructure Materials Modified by self-assembled hollow nanostructured materials)

Reporting period: 2021-01-01 to 2022-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The production of Portland cement (the most common binder in concrete) is an energy-intensive process that accounts for a significant portion of global CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases. With increasing energy costs and heightened concerns about the environmental footprint of concrete construction and maintenance activities, there has been a steady increase in interest and research activity on the use of industrial solid waste and other recycled materials in concrete, including those targeting early-age failure prevention. Although nanomaterials are considered a promising technique to mitigate the durability problem of concrete structures, to date, however, little research has been reported on the use of nanotechnology for early-age failure mitigation, whereas our bench-scale investigation proved this to be very promising.
The primary goal and main contribution of this project is to provide economical approaches to manufacture durable concrete material through nanotechnology. After this project, we developed a series of technologies to build environmentally-friendly constructions by using low-carbon cementitious materials. This project not only focuses on the use of hierarchical hollow-structured nanoparticles and cementitious materials to manufacture durable green constructions but also investigates the long-term performance and practical applications of these materials. The main benefits of the findings are: 1) successfully developed a facile and cost-effective method for the synthesis of self-assembled hollow nanostructured materials; 2) provide a feasible route to realize the nano-modified cementitious materials with outstanding performances; 3) shed light on the hidden internal curing mechanism, that governs the microstructure evolution and enhancement of mechanical properties and durability; 4) provides a potential possibility of the practical applications of the self-assembled hierarchical hollow nanostructured materials in sustainable and smart structures.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Five work packages (WPs) were undertaken through the project, which is elaborated as follows.
Month 1 - Month 24
WP1: Overall training-through-research.
In this WP, extensive training activities have been carried out by the Fellow to reinforce his knowledge in the areas of materials science, chemistry, physics, and civil engineering. In addition, microstructure characterization, physical modeling, performance predictions, and industrial applications have been developed through the project. Meanwhile, through the project, the Fellow also reinforced his capability of project management, communication, and social skills, especially how to handle the collision between academia and pragmatic applications.
Main Outcome: A well-trained researcher who has competitive academic knowledge and management skills along with practical perspectives.
Month 1 - Month 11
WP2: Preparing mono-dispersed hollow nanostructured materials, which are compatible with construction materials, in a facile, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly process.
In this WP, mono-dispersed hollow nanostructured materials which are compatible with cement were successfully manufactured in a facile, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly process. For this project, the production methods have been systematically investigated and improved to precisely control the size and the wall thickness of hollow nanostructured materials by aligning the reaction time and concentration of the raw materials.
Main Outcome: One paper is under review now.
Month 6 - Month 16
WP3: Implementing hollow nanostructured materials in infrastructure materials and developing a theoretical model to predict the durability of the nano-modified concrete.
This WP presents a comparative result to investigate the impacts of CaCl2 along with F/T and W/D cycles on the durability of concrete products modified with nano SiO2 and nano Al2O3. It was found, after the F/T and W/D cycles in a CaCl2 solution, although colloidal precipitates will be formed and the dense microstructure of the cement paste will be damaged, the addition of nanoparticles is beneficial to remain the dense structure of the cement paste.
Main Outcomes: One paper has been published, and another one is prepared for submission.
Month 13 - Month 20
WP4: Elucidate the modification mechanisms through the microstructure analysis of the modified concrete materials.
The Fellow presented High-resolution Transparent Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) images of the interface between the hierarchically hollow structured nanoparticles and the hydration products of the cement paste. It can be claimed, that the hierarchically hollow-structured nanoparticles can act as a reservoir, which provides a constant water resource and is beneficial to release the crystallization pressure of the hydration product.
Main Outcomes: A lecture is going to be presented at the 15th Pacific RIM Conference of Ceramic Societies, and one paper has been prepared for submission.
Month 15 - Month 24
WP5: Industry applications and feedback.
The Fellow focused on implementing the hierarchically hollow structured nanoparticles in manufacturing low-carbon cementitious materials. The research network was induced through the industry placement in the industry partner institutions.
Main Outcomes: Two papers were published and one has been under reviewing process.
Overview:
Through this project, the Fellow gained competitive academic knowledge and management skills, published three journal papers, and organized several workshops to disseminate the research findings. In addition, there are three peer-review journal papers are under review, and one paper is prepared for submission.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Expected Results
The project led to several publishable scientific results (e.g. journal articles and conference proceedings), and applicable industry practices (nano-modification, durability enhancement, and low-carbon cementitious materials).
Research Impact on the Fellow
The research in this project helped the Fellow to reach his mid-term professional goal of attaining a leading and independent position in Academia. The training performed in this project extended the Fellow’s expertise from materials science to civil engineering along with valuable professional skills such as project management, collaboration, and communication.
Research Impact on the Whole Society
The results of the project were disseminated and published to the most extent via multiple communication platforms such as printed publications and conference presentations. A variety of potential users and partners, including material companies, infrastructural designers, and researchers throughout Europe and the world, can be benefitted from the research findings.
Research Impact on the Local Community
The main host organized a series of outreach activities to encourage a great interest in science among the university, school students, and the general public. The Fellow attended the host’s initiative of multimedia releases for publication on the University websites and Personal Research Website for public access. During the industry placement, the Fellow brought innovative ideas to the industry companies through workshops and seminars for collaboration.

This image gives the summary of the project