Patent ID: 11891335
Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Field: Materials, metallurgy (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC C  Y | IPC C

Claim 1:
2. A multi-functional cementitious material comprising:
a. water at a level of about 3-30% wt of the multi-functional cementitious material;
b. cement at a level of about 10-50% wt of the multi-functional cementitious material;
c. aggregates at a level of about 0-60% wt of the multi-functional cementitious material;
d. pozzolanic ingredients at a level of about 0-65% wt of the multi-functional cementitious material,
e. conductive nanoparticulates at a level of about 0.1-30% vol of the multi-functional cementitious material, wherein the conductive nanoparticulates have a particle size ranging from about 1 nm to 1 μm;
f. a plasticizer at a level of about 0.01-1% wt of the multi-functional cementitious material, wherein the plasticizer is a polycarboxylate-based concrete superplasticizer;
g. an accelerator, retarder, viscosity modifying agent, or combinations thereof, are added to adjust rheology and setting time; and
h. reinforcing fibers at a level of about 0.1-8% vol of the multi-functional cementitious material, wherein the reinforcing fibers are polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers, polyethylene fibers, polypropylene fibers, basalt fibers, or combinations thereof and wherein the reinforcing fibers have a length ranging from about 1 mm to 100 mm, and a fiber diameter ranging from about 1 μm to 500 μm,
wherein the cement, aggregates, and pozzolanic materials are mixed to provide a uniform dry mixture,
wherein the water, plasticizer, and accelerator, retarder, or viscosity modifying agent, are mixed with the dry mixture to form a cementitious paste having a rheology favorable for even dispersion of reinforcing fibers and conductive nanoparticulates,
wherein the conductive nanoparticulates and the reinforcing fibers are mixed with the cementitious paste to produce the multi-functional cementitious material;
wherein the multi-functional cementitious material comprises a tailored network of micro- to nano-sized phases and interfaces that exhibits a straining and cracking behavior capable of dissipating energy through sequentially formed multiple microcracks with controlled crack widths of about 10 μm to 100 μm during strain-hardening stage such that the cementitious material is ductile and damage-tolerant, and
wherein the multi-scale structure and interfaces of the cementitious material enables electromechanical behaviour such that the cementitious material behaves as a self-sensing material to detect and quantify its own mechanically-, chemically-, or environmentally-induced strain, damage, or deterioration with spatially continuous resolution wherever the multi-functional cementitious material is located in a structure, through alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) electrical probing.