We are excited to present a revolutionary use for carbon nanotubes (CNTs): conductive concrete. We were lucky enough to briefly steal Dr. Myrsini Maglogianni away from her innovative work at Wayne State University to interview her about her breakthrough science.

Dr. Myrsini comes from a civil engineering background and fell in love with cementitious materials research during her PhD, where she was captivated by her professor’s vision and the potential for multifunctional concrete. Although originally interested in a different engineering field, the passion and drive of her professor and a realisation of the breadth and potential of cementitious materials inspired her to base her career on conductive concrete.

Conductive concrete is a specialised form of concrete that incorporates electrically conductive materials, allowing it to transmit electricity. Traditional methods of producing conductive concrete involve the addition of macro materials, such as steel shavings or carbon particles, to normal cement mixtures. Myrsini is exploring how incorporating CNTs rather than traditional macroscale materials enhances the conductivity and applicability of cementitious systems.

CNTs in Conductive Concrete

Conductive concrete has many exciting potential applications. Myrsini is passionate about its use for de-icing and anti-icing pavements. Due to the conductive properties of the concrete, the application of a small amount of electricity will cause its temperature to rise. 

The use of this concrete to form pavements and roads would provide a unique opportunity for de-icing and even anti-icing, where ice formation can be prevented by heating surfaces before temperatures plummet. Self-sensing applications of CNTs could also be applied to conductive concrete, with the potential for sensing tiny cracks in concrete structures by detecting a jump or alteration in the intensity of the electric current signal – before they expand and create big issues.

The use of CNTs offers many advantages over the traditional macroscale materials, because when they are properly dispersed, only a small amount of nanotubes can create a more continuous and effective conductive network within the concrete than an equivalent proportion of macroscale materials. Not only does this reduce the amount of current necessary to increase the temperature of the cement, but this in turn increases the longevity of the surface. This is quite advantageous compared with chemical de-icers that can damage concrete, causing corrosion and cracking, and can have damaging environmental consequences due to chemical runoff infiltrating soil and water systems. 

The Challenges of CNTs in Conductive Concrete

The biggest challenge associated with the use of CNTs in concrete, is dispersion. CNTs are prone to agglomeration, resulting in an inhibition of their function.

The process of creating conductive concrete involves the addition of the CNTs to water, a notoriously difficult solution in which to disperse CNTs. Moreover, once CNTs are added to the cement, they effectively disappear due to concrete creating its own hydration products around the CNTs. This provides increased challenges in assessing a successful dispersion. Currently, Myrsini and her team use tailored characterisation techniques before incorporating the nanomaterials into the cement, and then evaluate the properties of the hardened conductive concrete after. 

Further opportunities arise when solving the large-scale application of CNT conductive concrete. Although possible in a lab environment, ensuring the dispersal and stability of CNTs within concrete is not a task that construction workers will have the time or skills to perform. Therefore, the effective scaling up of CNT conductive concrete is an essential next step to progress to the commercialisation of the product.

Whilst commercialisation remains a challenge, the clear applications of conductive concrete make this an important avenue to pursue. The benefits provided by CNT-specific conductive concrete, including superior mechanical and conductive properties to macro materials and the ability to add up to a tenth of the weight of macro materials to achieve the same results, implicate this as a prime research area. 

TrimTabs CNTs in Conductive Concrete

TrimTabs is excited to be collaborating with Dr. Myrsini on her research endeavours and has been able to provide her with our CNTs. 

Dr. Myrsini’s investigations using the TrimTabs CNTs will explore their dispersion behaviour and conductive performance. 

Drawn to TrimTabs’ innovative, low-impact CNT production methods, including our use of typically non-recycled plastics, Dr. Myrsini saw a unique opportunity to test how these materials could support the development of more sustainable conductive concrete technologies. The traditional production methods for CNTs are carbon-intensive, and the production of cement using traditional methods has been established as a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the combination of these two products into conductive concrete forms an inherently non-sustainable product. Several innovations are contributing to the rising potential for zero-carbon concrete. In combination with TrimTabs’ CNTs, produced from plastics that would otherwise be incinerated, zero-carbon conductive concrete could form a sustainable solution to carbon-intensive methods.

We can’t wait to see how Dr. Myrsini’s research progresses and we look forward to  working alongside her. We will be posting updates once Dr. Myrsini’s research has progressed further, so make sure you are signed up for our newsletter to keep up to date with the latest in conductive concrete!