| Abstract Scope |
Concrete is the world’s most widely used material, is inherently brittle, and its production and transport are responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions. Current repair methods result in structures with reduced strength and resiliency due to many factors such as material mismatch. Therefore, a self-healing material is needed to overcome this problem. Inspired by the highly efficient process of CO2 transfer in biological cells, this talk introduces a method to develop a self-healing mechanism in a cementitious matrix using trace amounts of the enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA). CA catalyzes the reaction to create calcium carbonate crystals with similar thermomechanical properties as the cementitious matrix. The crystal growth rate using this method is orders of magnitude faster and more efficient than bacterial methods, resulting in the healing of significant flaws on timescale orders of magnitude shorter. This inexpensive method is biologically safe, actively consumes CO2, and avoids using unhealthy reagents. |