According to foreign media New Atlas, 'magic material' graphene is a quasi-two-dimensional material with only one atomic layer thickness. It is the world's strongest man-made material. Now scientists have used it to create a stronger than in the past. New concrete that is more waterproof and more environmentally friendly. To create this concrete, a team at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom designed a technique to suspend graphene sheets in water and then mix the water with traditional concrete components (such as cement. Mixing with aggregate. It is reported that the process is inexpensive and meets modern mass production requirements.
After testing, the concrete added with graphene showed a 146% higher compressive strength, a 79.5% higher flexural strength, and a nearly 400% lower water seepage rate. This material complies with British and European construction standards. The strength and water resistance should allow structures made with concrete to last longer. This means that they do not need to be replaced frequently - the production of cement used in concrete is the main source of carbon dioxide emissions.
In addition, it has been reported that the incorporation of graphene into concrete can reduce other materials by about 50%, including cement. Scientists said that this factor should lead to a reduction of 446 kilograms of CO2 emissions per ton of concrete produced.
'Finding more environmentally friendly ways to build is an important step in reducing global carbon emissions, so protect our environment as much as possible,' said Dimitar Dimov, a doctoral student in charge of the study. 'This is the first step, but it's about creating for the future. A key step in the right direction for the more sustainable construction industry. '
The paper on this research was recently published in the magazine Advanced Functional Materials.
