| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2024 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Materials Science for Global Development -- Health, Energy, and Environment: An SMD Symposium in Honor of Wole Soboyejo
|
| Presentation Title |
An Enzymatic Carbon-Negative Structural Material |
| Author(s) |
Nima Rahbar |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Nima Rahbar |
| Abstract Scope |
Concrete, the most widely used material globally and responsible for 8% of global carbon emissions, is inherently brittle and requires frequent repair or replacement. 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. Our enzymatic mechanism led to the developing of a new construction material with an outstanding compressive strength higher than the minimum required for cement mortar. Our enzymatic construction material has the potential to serve as a strong construction material with self-healing capabilities. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Biomaterials, Sustainability, Other |