Industrialized nations lose about 3% of GDP every year due to problems related to material corrosion and deterioration. In particular, damage to concrete structures and infrastructures that range from small cracks to fully powerful failures can lead to serious disorders, and repairs can cause considerable costs. But what if damaged concrete had the ability to heal holy microreters themselves before they could spread into major problems?
Beton typically fails due to the development of microricises that are gradually expanding into larger cracks. Freezing-up-up campaign can be a big problem in which water fills cracks before it freezes and expands, which causes further damage in a repeating cycle. Self -healing concrete was developed to efficiently repair these microcs. There are many technologies, but Idteechex research shows that biological approaches contribute to the successful commercialization of self-healing concrete.
Bio -based self -healing concrete is the way for building materials. Source: Idteechex
An old approach
Rome was not built in one day, but many of its most beautiful buildings and structures passed the test of the time and have been over two millennia after their construction. Roman concrete consists of quicklime (calcium oxide), volcanic ash and water and was produced at high temperatures using a technology called “Hot Mixing”. Studies have made the presence of limestone clasts (calcium -rich mineral deposits) in Roman architecture as small, different white characteristics that measure a few millimeters of size.
When a crack forms, water is infiltrated and a solution enriched by calcium is generated. Despite detailed studies, there are two proposed healing mechanisms. In the simplest scenario, the solution heals the crack itself. The second and more complex mechanism is known as a puzzle and contains the formation of several intermediate products on the interface between the volcanic aggregate and the surrounding matrix.
Modern methods
A promising approach of players like Basilisk includes the embedding of mineral production bacteria in concrete for self -healing purposes. These acid producing bacteria can rest for over 200 years and serve as catalysts in the crack repair process. When cracks develop, the bacteria become active, use calcium lactate and create limestone to seal the damage. Bacterial trunks used in the construction Bacillus PasteuriiPresent B. sphericalPresent B. subtlePresent B. CohniiPresent B. HaloduransAnd B. pseudo -fan.
The healing process takes place through a biological reaction between non -implemented limestone and a nutrient based on calcium. When bacterial spores come across water, they feed with the calcium lactate, a process that consumes oxygen and reduces the risk of steel corrosion. The soluble calcium lactate is converted into insoluble limestone, which hardens and fills the crack.
Alternative approaches for self-healing building materials are also discussed in the IDTECECHEX report. Geopolymer concrete is made from waste materials such as flight ash, and self-healing mechanisms have been proposed, while there is also a convincing method using bacteria-coated fibers. The main advantage is that the core of the fiber acts like a stab and keeps the crack closed, which limits the spread of the crack and the required extent of self -healing is minimized.
Concrete offers a highly volume path to the market for self -healing materials and enables trust and trust in the new approach to increase the lifespan of the structures. Initial risks can be reduced by only being considered plates, with vertical watering for walls until the second phase of adoption. From an economic point of view, the assessment of the market by IDTECE reports an increase in material costs by 30% when adding self -healing properties. However, these can be taken into account in different ways. Saving the above GDP loss, the reduced replacement requirement, minimized maintenance and limited downtime can all be combined in the life cycle costs that are reduced as a whole when considering self-healing concrete.
The report “Self-healing materials 2025-2035: Technologies, applications and players” offers an in-depth analysis of this emerging market. Idtechex uses his know-how in progressive materials and provides an independent assessment that covers technology comparisons, industry trends and important actors' ratings and offers valuable insights into these promising but still developing sector.