Title: Use of carbon nanotubes in concrete for structural health monitoring - a review

Authors: M. Elkashef

Addresses: Construction and Architectural Engineering Department, The American University in Cairo, Egypt

Abstract: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are on the frontline of materials research and innovations worldwide. There is a growing interest in CNTs due to their superior mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. The electrical conductivity of individual CNTs is in the order of 104-107 S/m. The incorporation of CNTs in concrete leads to an increase in the electrical conductivity of the CNT/concrete composite. Recently, the use of CNTs in concrete in structural health monitoring has attracted a lot of attention. CNTs/cement composite have shown piezoresistivity property where the electrical resistance of the composite varies with load. This property offers a practical way to sense load variations by monitoring the electrical resistivity of the structure. This paper will give an overview of the current research efforts in this regard. The review will cover the use of both functionalised and pristine CNTs. An overview of the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method which is most commonly used to synthesise CNTs will also be presented.

Keywords: carbon nanotubes; CNTs; nanotechnology; CNT/concrete composites; pressure-sensitivity; piezoresistivity; nanocomposites; structural health monitoring; nanoparticles; concrete; electrical conductivity; chemical vapour deposition; CVD.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNP.2015.071742

International Journal of Nanoparticles, 2015 Vol.8 No.2, pp.99 - 114

Received: 27 Mar 2014
Accepted: 04 Nov 2014

Published online: 17 Sep 2015 *

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