Smart MAterial System to enHance the service life of reinforced concrete structures

Sustainable development is one of the main challenges that humanity has to face to progress.

The construction industry strongly influences the achievement of this goal, as it heavily impacts on resource and energy consumption, waste production, greenhouse gas emission.

The extension of the service life of structures will be one of the measures necessary for this sector to support sustainable development, since it can save resources, decrease the carbon footprint and reduce waste production.

Reinforced concrete structures (RCS) represent the vast majority of the built environment, so research efforts should be focused especially on this type of structures.

One of the most promising approaches to prolong the service-life of RCS is the development and implementation of Smart Structures, being structures able to sense some external stimuli, process the information and respond autonomously in real time by using smart materials technologies.

Research on this topic is advancing, but it is still a challenge to achieve efficient systems.The final goal of SMASH is precisely to develop an efficient “Smart Material” system to be implemented in RCS in order to enhance their service life, on the way to sustainable development.

The key enabling technologies to develop this system will be capsule-based self-healing and voltammetric sensors, combined together to produce a synergic effect.With the support of my supervisor (Prof.

Paola Antonaci) and her extensive knowledge in the development and characterization methods for innovative building materials, the fellowship will train me in the frontier fields of self-healing and advanced repair technologies, complementing my expertise on sensor systems.

Ultimately, SMASH will provide a crucial contribution to relevant research on the reduction of the environmental impact of the construction sector, and on the advancement of smart materials to achieve smart structures, in order to reach SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities).