The future of construction is a mixture of new and smarter materials. These innovative construction materials are changing the way architecture is being designed and constructed.
Smart material systems are able to perform an adaptive behavior without the need for extra control or actuators. These include shape morphing architectural components, and thermo-bimetals.
Transparent Wood
The need for more sustainable building materials is gaining importance. The construction process creates unprecedented amounts of pollution and demands new materials that not only have good mechanical properties but also can absorb energy and release it later.
Transparent wood is one such material. Scientists have managed to transform regular wood into transparent material by removing the lignin and filling it with polymer that lets 90% of light pass through without scattering. It is not only lighter than glass but also stronger and has better insulating properties, making it an excellent option for future green buildings.
However, the scientists working on this project face challenges including finding a way to make it cheap enough to be used in real construction. It is not easy to compete with the existing supply chains of glass that are already widely used. Additionally, the scientists have to work on increasing its heat storage capability to reduce energy consumption.
Biomimetic Concrete
Buildings that change their shape to avoid solar heating, drugs that release themselves in the bloodstream at the first sign of infection or mobile phone screens that repair themselves — these are just some examples of smart materials, the latest revolution in material science. These “intelligent” materials can change their properties in response to external stimuli such as temperature, light, pressure, magnetic fields, surrounding moisture and chemicals.
Civil engineering structures that are often exposed to internal and external disturbances like earthquakes and tsunamis require structural stability with minimal chance of load exceedance and collapse. Moreover, these structures should also be capable of extending their service life. This requirement drives practitioners to search for new and efficient construction material which can provide superior performance while minimizing environmental pollution.
The need for novel and more efficient materials has led practitioners to explore different smart materials like shape morphing architectures, bio-inspired movements and smart self-adaptive systems. The requirements of future point towards intelligent materials which can perform a range of tasks on their own without the need for additional energy input and are cost effective and environmentally sustainable.
Self Healing Coatings
Self healing coatings are a great way to extend the life of construction materials, as they can automatically detect and repair damage. They also reduce the amount of energy and resources needed to maintain structures, meaning that fewer emissions will be released into the environment.
Researchers have developed a variety of self-healing coatings, including those that use electrical, magnetic, or light-induced mechanisms to heal cracks and other damage. In one example, researchers created a concrete coating that contains microcapsules loaded with a material that seals cracks. When the cracks in the concrete are damaged, the microcapsules rupture, and the material that they contain begins to fill the cracks. Then, sunlight shining on the surface of the concrete activates and solidifies this self-healing material, restoring the integrity of the structure.
Another type of self-healing coating uses reversible chemistry to repair corrosion on metals. This process uses nanoparticles to repair the corrosion, resulting in an improved bond and reduced damage. These self-healing coatings can be divided into two categories: autonomous and non-autonomous. In autonomous systems, an external stimulus is needed to initiate the chemical reactions or physical changes that heal the damage.
Transparent Metals
Stiff transparent materials are important in many applications, ranging from displays in portable devices to large-area windows used in construction. Silica-based glasses are currently the most popular stiff and transparent materials due to their chemical inertness, temperature stability, hardness, scratch resistance and transparency to light and radio waves. However, the brittle nature of glass leads to frequent and costly failures with unpredictable consequences.
This has led researchers to seek out stronger, more durable and aesthetically pleasing alternatives. Transparent aluminium, a material already used in military projects for armoured glass windows, is an example. Also known as ALON, it is made of aluminate powder alloys that are compressed and heated to high temperatures.
The material is inspired by the mesoscale architecture of nacre, a natural mineral composed of stiff brick-and-mortar layers separated by compliant organic layers. The result is a transparent composite material with an enhanced fracture toughness and damage tolerance, although the fracture morphology still needs further improvements. The authors plan to develop techniques to fabricate thicker and larger samples with nanoscale reinforcing elements, as well as conduct more in-situ fracture experiments, in order to better characterize the mechanical properties of the new material.
Aerogels
With the demand for sustainable buildings rising, construction industry is looking towards smart materials that can adapt to changing environments and respond to external stimuli. From seismic-resistant structures to self-healing concrete, these revolutionary materials are transforming the future of civil engineering.
A low-density material that resembles frozen smoke, aerogel has the ability to convert kinetic energy into thermal and light energy. Its remarkable insulating properties make it an essential material for the future of building construction. Further advancements in the manufacturing process of this material will increase its accessibility to more people and applications.
Smart polymers are also being used in the development of responsive drug uptake systems which allow physicians to customize treatment plans based on individual patient responses. Their biodegradability and compatibility with human tissues make them a highly promising material for medical applications.