Application of Artificial Functional Aggregates Encapsulated Bacteria for Self-Healing of Cement Mortars
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 34, Issue 11
Abstract
In a bacteria-based self-healing concrete system, it is generally necessary to protect the bacteria from the harsh conditions of high alkalinity inside the concrete and limited physical space due to the on-going hydration of cement. The artificial functional aggregates (AFA) were developed as the protective carrier of bacteria in this paper. Self-healing capability of mortars containing AFA encapsulated bacteria was investigated. Moreover, crack-healing products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetry (TG) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The results showed that AFA encapsulated bacteria effectively promoted self-healing of cracks. Compared with control mortars, the effects of surface crack healing, internal crack healing, water tightness regain, and mechanical performance recovery of mortars with AFA encapsulated bacteria were significantly improved. Healing products in specimens with AFA encapsulated bacteria were observed, including , C-S-H gel, hydromagnesite, and ettringite. Among them, the main healing product was , which was not only formed on the walls of shallow cracks, but also largely deposited on the walls of deep cracks. Self-healing of mortars with AFA encapsulated bacteria can be attributed to the combined effects of chemically derived calcium carbonate, microbially induced calcium carbonate, on-going hydration of unhydrated cement particles, and pozzolanic activity reaction of the slag from AFA.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
The financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51808483), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (No. BK20180930), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2021M692719), and Opening Funds of Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Construction Materials (No. CM2018-10) is greatly appreciated.
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Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 34 • Issue 11 • November 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jul 14, 2021
Accepted: Mar 1, 2022
Published online: Aug 23, 2022
Published in print: Nov 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jan 23, 2023
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