Portland cement is responsible for the characteristics that make concrete so widely used, but it also accounts for most of its carbon emissions so alternative solutions are being investigated that offer the same benefits with a lower environmental impact.
Graphene-enhanced concrete is already in development, but the work being undertaken between Atomi and Haydale will centre around functionalising graphene using Haydale’s HDPlas process.
In a statement, Keith Broadbent, Haydale CEO said: “Haydale and Atomi have been working together since 2021 on the provision of functionalised nanomaterials in the biomedical sector. The possibility for advanced materials is so diverse and it is great to be starting this project with the potential to benefit a sector that increasingly is seeking alternative materials to improve products and reduce CO2 emissions.”
Unfunctionalised graphene is hydrophobic and does not mix well with cement. Unlike traditional and wet chemistry methods of getting graphene to perform, plasma functionalisation is a single stage, powder in, powder out process that does not produce any effluent streams and does not rely on chemical treatment.
Haydale said its plasma functionalised graphene powders offer optimised physical and mechanical properties so that the powders can be blended easily with fine and coarse aggregate containing cement for making high-performance concrete. Consequently, graphene enhanced concrete is expected to demonstrate better mechanical properties than non-graphenated products.
The work will select appropriate graphene grades and functional groups for achieving enhanced compatibility between the functionalised graphene and concrete raw materials. According to Haydale, improvements in mechanical plus wear, corrosion, and moisture resistant properties are expected through this process. Advanced characterisation will be carried out to evaluate functionalised graphene powders and their impact on the physical properties of concrete.
The addition of functionalised graphene can reduce the cement content in concrete, which reduces CO2 emissions from the physical material as well as the required quantity needed for an application.
A new initiative led by Climate Group in partnership with World GBC and WBCSD aims to create a market for net zero concrete. Members of Concrete Zero commit to using 100 per cent net zero concrete by 2050, with two interim targets of using 30 per cent low emission concrete by 2025 and 50 per cent by 2030. Currently, 17 members including Laing O’Rouke, Wilmott Dixon and Joseph Homes are signed up to the initiative. It is hoped that the work of the project will be able to feed into the work of the initiative in due course.
Smart technology is also being considered so that the graphene can be date stamped like a Hallmark. Using sensor technology, it could be possible to gather real time data of a concrete structure, including its history and provide advanced warnings of anomalies such as deterioration.
“With the advancements being made with graphene sensors we are looking at their use with digital readers to allow live feedback of the material so we can potentially monitor changes within the chemical structure of the cement,” said Jason Laing, Atomi CEO.
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