Self-healing of Cracks in Concrete with Various Crystalline Mineral Additives in Underground Environment

Cracks can deteriorate mechanical properties and/or durability of concrete. A few studies have shown that, cracks can autogenously heal under a certain conditions besides the traditional passive repair with a deliberate external intervention. For underground concrete structures, the presence of water, as a necessity for chemical reactions of the healing additives, is beneficial to healing concrete. In this paper, a natural healing method by mineral additives was developed according to the chemical and physical characteristics of underground environment. The healing capacity of three different crystalline mineral materials classified namely, carbonate, calcium sulphoaluminate expansive agent and natural metakaolin due to permeation- crystallization, expansion and pozzolanic reaction, has been assessed from the mechanical properties, referring to the relative elastic modulus, the strength restoration, and the water permeability of the healed specimens. In addition, the morphology of the healing products in the vicinity of the crack was observed. The results indicate that the specimens incorporated with the three mineral additives show different healing capacity according to the improved mechanical properties and permeability. The permeability of the host matrix decreased a lot after crack healing by natural metakaolin followed by carbonate whereas no noticeable improvement of water permeability has been observed for the specimens mixed with expansive agent. The specimens incorporated with carbonate show the best mechanical restoration in terms of relative elastic modulus and compressive strength. Although the dominate element is CaCO3 by reaction of CO32-, either from the dissolved CO2 or from the additives, and Ca2＋ in the cementitious system to fill the cracks, the healing capacity depends greatly on the morphology and the properties of the newly formed products.

Numerical Simulation on Moisture Transport in Cracked Cement-based Materials in view of Self-healing of Crack

The moisture transport in cracked cement-based materials was investigated with priority by numerical simulation.The cracked cement-basis material was treated as two components system,including the cracks and cementitious mortar.The mass balance between the water in the cracks and in the cement mortar was considered.From the modeling results,it was seen that the water or vapor filled the crack immediately when the cracked cementitious mortar was put into contact with the water or vapor.The water/vapor penetrates into the mortar from the crack surfaces,as well as the external surface exposed in the outside condition.The existence of cracks increases the penetration of water/vapor into the cementitious mortar.As the basis for studying the self-healing in cracked concrete,the simulation on moisture transport provided important information about the water distribution and movement inside the cracked concrete.

Effect of drying cracks on swelling and self-healing of bentonite-sand blocks used as engineered barriers for radioactive waste disposal

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the healing of drying cracks in air-dried bentonite-sand blocks after hydration and swelling in groundwater,providing justifications to simplify the protection of blocks prior to installation in a high-level radioactive waste repository.Synthetic groundwater was prepared to represent the geochemistry of Beishan groundwater,and was used to hydrate the blocks during the swelling pressure and swelling strain measurements,as Beishan is the most promising site for China's repository.Healing of the surface cracks was recorded by photography,and healing of the internal cracks was visualized by CT images and hydraulic conductivity of air-dried blocks.The results indicate that the maximum swelling pressure and swelling strain are primarily affected by the geochemistry of Beishan groundwater,but not affected by the drying cracks.The maximum swelling pressure and swelling strain of air-dried blocks are comparable to or even higher than the pressure and strain of fresh blocks.The maximum swelling pressure measured in strong(i.e.high ion strength)Beishan groundwater was 44%of the pressure measured in deionized(DI)water,and the maximum swelling strain was reduced to 23%of the strain measured in DI water.Nevertheless,the remained swelling of the blocks hydrated in strong Beishan groundwater was sufficient to heal the surface and internal drying cracks,as demonstrated by the pictures of surface cracks and CT images.The hydraulic conductivity of the air-dried block permeated with strong groundwater was comparable(3.7×higher)to the hydraulic conductivity of the fresh block,indicating the self-healing of drying cracks after hydration and swelling in groundwater.A simplified method of protecting the block with plastic wraps before installation is recommended,since the remained swelling of the block hydrated in Beishan groundwater is sufficient to heal the drying cracks.

Mechanical reliable,NIR light-induced rapid self-healing hydrogel electrolyte towards flexible zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors with low-temperature adaptability and long service life

Hydrogel electrolytes hold great potential in flexible zinc ion supercapacitors(ZICs)due to their high conductivity,good safety,and flexibility.However,freezing of electrolytes at low temperature(subzero)leads to drastic reduction in ionic conductivity and mechanical properties that deteriorates the performance of flexible ZICs.Besides,the mechanical fracture during arbitrary deformations significantly prunes out the lifespan of the flexible device.Herein,a Zn^(2+)and Li^(+)co-doped,polypyrrole-dopamine decorated Sb_(2)S_(3)incorporated,and polyvinyl alcohol/poly(N-(2-hydroxyethyl)acrylamide)double-network hydrogel electrolyte is constructed with favorable mechanical reliability,anti-freezing,and self-healing ability.In addition,it delivers ultra-high ionic conductivity of 8.6 and 3.7 S m^(-1)at 20 and−30°C,respectively,and displays excellent mechanical properties to withstand tensile stress of 1.85 MPa with tensile elongation of 760%,together with fracture energy of 5.14 MJ m^(-3).Notably,the fractured hydrogel electrolyte can recover itself after only 90 s of infrared illumination,while regaining 83%of its tensile strain and almost 100%of its ionic conductivity during−30–60°C.Moreover,ZICs coupled with this hydrogel electrolyte not only show a wide voltage window(up to 2 V),but also provide high energy density of 230 Wh kg^(-1)at power density of 500 W kg^(-1)with a capacity retention of 86.7%after 20,000 cycles under 20°C.Furthermore,the ZICs are able to retain excellent capacity even under various mechanical deformation at−30°C.This contribution will open up new insights into design of advanced wearable flexible electronics with environmental adaptability and long-life span.

High performance photodegradation resistant PVA@TiO_(2)/carboxyl-PES self-healing reactive ultrafiltration membrane

The occurrence of ultrafiltration(UF)membrane fouling frequently hampers the sustainable advancement of UF technology.Reactive self-cleaning UF membranes can effectively alleviate the problem of membrane fouling.Nevertheless,the self-cleaning process may accelerate membrane aging.Addressing these concerns,we present an innovative design concept for composite self-healing materials based on self-cleaning UF membranes.To begin,TiO_(2)nanoparticles were incorporated into the polymer molecular structure via molecular design,resulting in the synthesis of TiO_(2)/carboxyl-polyether sulfone(PES)hybrid materials.Subsequently,the nonsolvent-induced phase inversion technique was employed to prepare a novel of UF membrane.Lastly,a polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)hydrogel coating was applied to the hybrid UF membrane surface to create PVA@TiO_(2)/carboxyl-PES self-healing reactive UF membranes.By establishing a covalent bond,the TiO_(2)nanoparticles were effectively and uniformly dispersed within the UF membrane,leading to exceptional self-cleaning properties.Furthermore,the water-absorbing and swelling properties of PVA hydrogel,along with its capacity to form hydrogen bonds with water molecules,resulted in UF membranes with improved hydrophilicity and active self-healing abilities.The results demonstrated that the water contact angle of PVA@5%TiO_(2)/carboxyl-PES UF membrane was 43.1°.Following a 1-h exposure to simulated solar exposure,the water flux recovery ratio increased from 48.16%to 81.03%.Moreover,even after undergoing five cycles of 12-h simulated sunlight exposure,the UF membranes exhibited a consistent retention rate of over 97%,thus fully demonstrating their exceptional self-cleaning,antifouling,and selfhealing capabilities.We anticipate that the self-healing reactive UF membrane system will serve as a pioneering and comprehensive solution for the self-cleaning antifouling challenges encountered in UF membranes while also effectively mitigating the aging effects of reactive UF membranes.

Effect of calcium lactate on compressive strength and self-healing of cracks in microbial concrete

This paper presents the effect on compressive strength and self-healing capability of bacterial concrete with the addition of calcium lactate.Compared to normal concrete,bacterial concrete possesses higher durability and engineering concrete properties.The production of calcium carbonate in bacterial concrete is limited to the calcium content in cement.Hence calcium lactate is externally added to be an additional source of calcium in the concrete.The influence of this addition on compressive strength,self-healing capability of cracks is highlighted in this study.The bacterium used in the study is bacillus subtilis and was added to both spore powder form and culture form to the concrete.Bacillus subtilis spore powder of 2 million cfu/g concentration with 0.5%cement was mixed to concrete.Calcium lactates with concentrations of 0.5%,1.0%,1.5%,2.0%,and 2.5%of cement,was added to the concrete mixes to test the effect on properties of concrete.In other samples,cultured bacillus subtilis with a concentration of 1×10^cells/mL was mixed with concrete,to study the effect of bacteria in the cultured form on the properties of concrete.Cubes of 100 mm×100 mm×100 mm were used for the study.These cubes were tested after a curing period of 7,14,and 28 d.A maximum of 12%increase in compressive strength was observed with the addition of 0.5%of calcium lactate in concrete.Scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy examination showed the formation of ettringite in pores;calcium silicate hydrates and calcite which made the concrete denser.A statistical technique was applied to analyze the experimental data of the compressive strengths of cementations materials.Response surface methodology was adopted for optimizing the experimental data.The regression equation was yielded by the application of response surface methodology relating response variables to input parameters.This method aids in predicting the experimental results accurately with an acceptable range of error.Findings of this investigation indicated the influence of added calcium lactate in bio-concrete which is quite impressive for improving the compressive strength and self-healing properties of concrete.

Self-healing Action of Permeable Crystalline Coating on Pores and Cracks in Cement-based Materials

The self-healing action of a permeable crystalline coating on the po rous mortar was investigated by two times impermeability test. Moreover, the sel f-healing mechanism of cement-based materials with the permeable crystalline c oating was studied by SEM. The results indicate that the permeable crystalline c oating not only seals the pores and cracks in mortar during its curing process, but also heals the permeable pathway caused by first impermeability test or crac ks produced by freeze-thaw cycles. Therefore, cement-based materials can be im proved by the permeable crystalline coating for the self-healing function. SEM images prove that the self-healing function is realized by generating a great q uantity of non-soluble dendritic crystalline within the pores and cracks, which prevents the penetration of water and other liquids.

A Self-Healing Optoacoustic Patch with High Damage Threshold and Conversion Efficiency for Biomedical Applications

Compared with traditional piezoelectric ultrasonic devices,optoacoustic devices have unique advantages such as a simple preparation process,anti-electromagnetic interference,and wireless long-distance power supply.However,current optoacoustic devices remain limited due to a low damage threshold and energy conversion efficiency,which seriously hinder their widespread applications.In this study,using a self-healing polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS,Fe-Hpdca-PDMS)and carbon nanotube composite,a flexible optoacoustic patch is developed,which possesses the self-healing capability at room temperature,and can even recover from damage induced by cutting or laser irradiation.Moreover,this patch can generate high-intensity ultrasound(>25 MPa)without the focusing structure.The laser damage threshold is greater than 183.44 mJ cm^(-2),and the optoacoustic energy conversion efficiency reaches a major achievement at 10.66×10^(-3),compared with other carbon-based nanomaterials and PDMS composites.This patch is also been successfully examined in the application of acoustic flow,thrombolysis,and wireless energy harvesting.All findings in this study provides new insight into designing and fabricating of novel ultrasound devices for biomedical applications.

Multifunctional phase change film with high recyclability, adjustable thermal responsiveness, and intrinsic self-healing ability for thermal energy storage

Phase change materials(PCMs) present promising potential for guaranteeing safety in thermal management systems.However,most reported PCMs have a single application in energy storage for thermal management systems,which does not meet the growing demand for multi-functional materials.In this paper,the flexible material and hydrogen-bonding function are innovatively combined to design and prepare a novel multi-functional flexible phase change film(PPL).The 0.2PPL-2 film exhibits solid-solid phase change behavior with energy storage density of 131.8 J/g at the transition temperature of42.1℃,thermal cycling stability(500 cycles),wide-temperature range flexibility(0-60℃) and selfhealing property.Notably,the PPL film can be recycled up to 98.5% by intrinsic remodeling.Moreover,the PPL film can be tailored to the desired colors and configurations and can be cleverly assembled on several thermal management systems at ambient temperature through its flexibility combined with shape-memory properties.More interestingly,the transmittance of PPL will be altered when the ambient temperature changes(60℃),conveying a clear thermal signal.Finally,the thermal energy storage performance of the PPL film is successfully tested by human thermotherapy and electronic device temperature control experiments.The proposed functional integration strategy provides innovative ideas to design PCMs for multifunctionality,and makes significant contributions in green chemistry,highefficiency thermal management,and energy sustainability.

Flexible,thermal processable,self-healing,and fully bio-based starch plastics by constructing dynamic imine network

The serious environmental threat caused by petroleum-based plastics has spurred more researches in developing substitutes from renewable sources.Starch is desirable for fabricating bioplastic due to its abundance and renewable nature.However,limitations such as brittleness,hydrophilicity,and thermal properties restrict its widespread application.To overcome these issues,covalent adaptable network was constructed to fabricate a fully bio-based starch plastic with multiple advantages via Schiff base reactions.This strategy endowed starch plastic with excellent thermal processability,as evidenced by a low glass transition temperature(T_(g)=20.15℃).Through introducing Priamine with long carbon chains,the starch plastic demonstrated superior flexibility(elongation at break=45.2%)and waterproof capability(water contact angle=109.2°).Besides,it possessed a good thermal stability and self-adaptability,as well as solvent resistance and chemical degradability.This work provides a promising method to fabricate fully bio-based plastics as alternative to petroleum-based plastics.

Shear resistance of assembled bentonite interface after confined water saturation and interfacial self-healing capacity

The requisite functions of a bentonite buffer in a deep geological repository depend on the sealing/healing of bentonite interfaces,with particular emphasis on the self-healing(automatic healing upon wetting)of assembled bentonite-bentonite interfaces.This study determined the shear resistance(including the peak shear strength and secant modulus)of densely compacted Gaomiaozi(GMZ)bentonite and its assembled interface after confined water saturation.The effect of bentonite dry density and saturation time on the shear resistance of saturated healed interfaces was elucidated,and the interfacial self-healing capacity was assessed.The results indicate that the shear resistance of the saturated healed interfaces increased with the bentonite dry density but had a non-monotonic correlation with the saturation time.For a given dry density of the bentonite,the saturated healed interface exhibits a lower peak shear strength than the saturated intact bentonite but a higher peak shear strength than the saturated separated interface.The saturated healed and separated interfaces have comparable shear moduli(secant moduli),which are lower than that of the saturated intact bentonite.The saturated healed interfaces display smooth shear failure planes,while the saturated assembled interfaces and intact bentonite exhibit comparable frictional angles.This indicates that interfacial self-healing plays a pivotal role in enhancing interfacial peak shear strength by facilitating microstructural bonding at the assembled interface.Finally,it can be stated that densely compacted GMZ bentonite has a robust interfacial self-healing capacity in terms of shear resistance.These findings contribute to the design of the bentonite buffer and facilitate the evaluation of its safe operation at specified disposal ages.

An intrinsically self-healing and anti-freezing molecular chains induced polyacrylamide-based hydrogel electrolytes for zinc manganese dioxide batteries

The anti-freezing strategy of hydrogels and their self-healing structure are often contradictory,it is vital to break through the molecular structure to design and construct hydrogels with intrinsic anti-freezing/self-healing for meeting the rapid development of flexible and wearable devices in diverse service conditions.Herein,we design a new hydrogel electrolyte(AF/SH-Hydrogel)with intrinsic anti-freezing/self-healing capabilities by introducing ethylene glycol molecules,dynamic chemical bonding(disulfide bond),and supramolecular interaction(multi-hydrogen bond)into the polyacrylamide molecular chain.Thanks to the exceptional freeze resistance(84%capacity retention at-20℃)and intrinsic self-healing capabilities(95%capacity retention after 5 cutting/self-healing cycles),the obtained AF/SH-Hydrogel makes the zinc||manganese dioxide cell an economically feasible battery for the state-of-the-art applications.The Zn||AF/SH-Hydrogel||MnO_(2)device offers a near-theoretical specific capacity of 285 m A h g^(-1)at 0.1 A g^(-1)(Coulombic efficiency≈100%),as well as good self-healing capability and mechanical flexibility in an ice bath.This work provides insight that can be utilized to develop multifunctional hydrogel electrolytes for application in next generation of self-healable and freeze-resistance smart aqueous energy storage devices.

The Crack Self-healing Properties of Cement-based Material with EVA Heat-melt Adhesive

An experimental program was carried out to investigate whether EVA （ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer） heat-melt adhesive can potentially act as a self-healing agent in cement-based material. The effects of incorporation of EVA and heating on the properties of mortar were studied. Self-healing capacity of EVA specimens was also verified. The experimental results show that the addition of EVA would not greatly affect original characteristics of the matrix when EVA content was less than 5%; the interface between EVA and cement matrix was well improved after heating, which allows a significant improvement in flexural strength and toughness of specimen; pre-damaged specimens in various degrees （30%, 50% and 70%） were effectively repaired by EVA and the repair efficiency all exceeded 100%.

Microbial self-healing of cracks in cement-based materials and its influencing factors

Cement-based materials are brittle and crack easily under natural conditions.Cracks can reduce service life because the transport of harmful substances can cause corrosion damage to the structures.This review discusses the feasibility of using microbial self-healing agents for crack healing.Tubular and spherical carriers can be used to load microbial self-healing agents and protect microbes,which prolongs the self-healing time.The area self-healing ratio,permeability,mechanical strength,precipitation depth method,numerical modeling,and ultrasonic method can be employed to identify the self-healing effect of cracks.Moreover,the self-healing mechanism is systematically analyzed.The results showed that microbial self-healing agents can repair cracks in cement-based materials in underground projects and dam gates.The difficulties and future development of self-healing cracks were analyzed.A microbial selfhealing agent was embedded in the cement-based material,which automatically repaired the developing cracks.With the development of intelligent building materials,self-healing cracks have become the focus of attention.

Behavior Characteristics of Asphalt Components during the Process of Nano-cracks Temperature Self-healing

In order to investigate the behavior characteristics of asphalt components during the process of nano-cracks temperature self-healing(NTS),molecular simulation technology was used to simulate the temperature self-healing of asphalt.Based on the determination of asphalts(virgin asphalt and aged asphalt),the proportional changes of asphalt components were confirmed.The distribution characteristics of asphalt components were obtained by marking different components in the process of NTS.At the same time,the rationality of the micro simulation findings was confirmed by asphalt performance tests and infrared spectroscopy results.The results show that different asphalt components have different behavior characteristics in the process of NTS.The content of asphaltene and resin plays a key role in the process of NTS,while saturation and aromatics play an active role in the temperature self-healing before and after aging.The NTS is the result of the comprehensive action of different components,and the self-healing efficiency is proportional to the relative molecular mass.The effect of aging on the NTS is also realized by changing the proportion of asphalt components.

Self-healing mechanism of composite coatings obtained by phosphating and silicate sol post-sealing

Silicate sol post-treatment was applied to form a complete composite coating on the phosphated zinc layer. The chemical compositions of the coatings were investigated using XPS. The coated samples were firstly scratched and then exposed to the neutral salt spray(NSS) chamber for different time. The microstructure and chemical compositions of the scratches were studied using SEM and EDS. And the non-scratched coated samples were compared. The self-healing mechanism of the composite coatings was discussed. The results show that during corrosion, the self-healing ions in composite coatings dissolve, diffuse and transfer to the scratches or the defects, and then recombine with Zn2+ to form insoluble compound, which deposits and covers the exposed zinc. The corrosion products on the scratches contain silicon, phosphorous, oxygen, chloride and zinc, and they are compact, fine, needle and flake, effectively inhibiting the corrosion formation and expansion of the exposed zinc layer. The composite coatings have good self-healing ability.

一种高效的Long-Lived Self-Healing密钥分发机制

对Staddon等人提出的self-healing密钥分发方案作了3个方面的改进:第一,提出了一种更高效的无条件安全的long-lived方案取代基于计算安全的long-lived方案,降低了计算复杂度和通信复杂度;第二,增强了用户恢复合理密钥的能力,使得在某个特殊场景中,用户可以恢复出合理密钥;第三,降低了广播消息的次数和存储在用户端的私人密钥数目.

Microencapsulation of UV-Curable Self-healing Agent for Smart Anticorrosive Coating

UV-curable polyurethane prepolymer and photoinitiator 1173 were facilely encapsulated in a poly（urea-formaldehyde） shell, which was in situ formed by the polymerization of formalde-hyde and urea in an oil-in-water emulsion. The diameters of the microcapsules ranged from 118 μm to 663 μm depending on agitation speed, and were obtained via optical mi-croscopy and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The encapsulation percent and the yield of microcapsules prepared at the agitation speed of 600 r/min can reach 97.52wt% and 65.23wt%, respectively. When the water-borne polyurethane （WPU） coating embedded with the prepared microcapsules were scratched, the healing agent could be released from rup-tured microcapsules and lled the scribed region. The excellent anticorrosion properties of the WPU coating embedded with the prepared microcapsules were con rmed by the results obtained from both electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Tafel curves.

The Prediction of Self-Healing Capacity of Bacteria-Based Concrete Using Machine Learning Approaches

Advances in machine learning(ML)methods are important in industrial engineering and attract great attention in recent years.However,a comprehensive comparative study of the most advanced ML algorithms is lacking.Six integrated ML approaches for the crack repairing capacity of the bacteria-based self-healing concrete are proposed and compared.Six ML algorithms,including the Support Vector Regression(SVR),Decision Tree Regression(DTR),Gradient Boosting Regression(GBR),Artificial Neural Network(ANN),Bayesian Ridge Regression(BRR)and Kernel Ridge Regression(KRR),are adopted for the relationship modeling to predict crack closure percentage(CCP).Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO)is used for the hyper-parameters tuning.The importance of parameters is analyzed.It is demonstrated that integrated ML approaches have great potential to predict the CCP,and PSO is efficient in the hyperparameter tuning.This research provides useful information for the design of the bacteria-based self-healing concrete and can contribute to the design in the rest of industrial engineering.

Distribution of Calcium Carbonate in the Process of Concrete Self-healing

The complete deposition distribution process of calcium carbonate is summarized in three directions of cracks. Distribution of calcium carbonate in the self-healing process of microbial concrete is studied in detail, with the help of a variety of analytical techniques. The results show that carbonate deposits along the x-axis direction of the cracks. The farther from the crack surfaces of concrete matrix in x-axis direction, the more the content of the substrate, the less content of calcium carbonate. Gradual accumulation of calcium carbonate along the y-axis direction is like building a house with bricks. Different repair points are gradually connected, and ultimately the whole of cracks are completely filled. In the z-axis direction, calcium deposits on the surface of fracture direction, when the crack is filled on the surface, because the internal crack hypoxia in the depths of cracks hardly produces calcium carbonate.