Adaptative and Bioinspired Materials: Cement-Based Materials with Self-Modulating and Self-Sensing Properties

Abstract

The approach to sustainability in architecture can be considered as the reduction of the use of resources during the whole life of buildings. For cement-based materials, the strategy is focused on material optimization related to raw materials extraction, manufacturing process, life span, and finally the possibility of reuse or recycling. This chapter shows the possibility of achieving the objective through novel and alternative ways where the environment-material interaction is the basis of this development for new cement-based materials. This adaptability results in materials with self-responsive properties: self-sensitive, self-healing, self-modulating, and self-cleaning. In the present paper, two self-responsive materials are shown. In the first case, material design is based on reducing energy consumption through energy efficiency, by accumulating heat in a dynamic environment. The second material investigates the self-sensitivity capacity that can diagnose and identify changes of mechanical properties that could compromise durability, saving maintenance resources.

In both studies, the search for new properties is achieved using different additions that incorporate new capabilities to the cement-based materials. Phase change materials (PCM) were used as self-modulating materials in cement-lime mortar for thermal regulation, while micro and nano carbon-based fibers (CNF) were used in self-compacting concrete (SCC) to vary the electrical properties, turning the material into a real-time sensor. These nano- and microscale modified materials are presented as real alternatives in the search for dynamic materials applied to sustainable construction.