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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Spheres can make concrete leaner, greener: Rice's microscopic particles promise stronger building materials and more [rice.edu]

Rice University scientists have developed micron-sized calcium silicate spheres that could lead to stronger and greener concrete, the world's most-used synthetic material.

To Rice materials scientist Rouzbeh Shahsavari [rice.edu] and graduate student Sung Hoon Hwang, the spheres represent building blocks that can be made at low cost and promise to mitigate the energy-intensive techniques [eia.gov] now used to make cement, the most common binder in concrete.

The researchers formed the spheres in a solution around nanoscale seeds of a common detergent-like surfactant [wikipedia.org]. The spheres can be prompted to self-assemble into solids that are stronger, harder, more elastic and more durable than ubiquitous Portland cement [wikipedia.org].

[...] The work builds on a 2017 project [acs.org] [DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b12532] [DX [doi.org]] by Shahsavari and Hwang to develop self-healing materials with porous, microscopic calcium silicate spheres. The new material is not porous, as a solid calcium silicate shell surrounds the surfactant seed.

Size- and Shape-Controlled Synthesis of Calcium Silicate Particles Enables Self-Assembly and Enhanced Mechanical and Durability Properties [acs.org] (DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b00917) (DX [doi.org])

Related: Biologists Create Self-Healing Concrete [soylentnews.org]
Probing Ways to Turn Cement's Weakness to Strength [soylentnews.org]
Roman Concrete Explained [soylentnews.org]
The Rock Solid History of Concrete [soylentnews.org]
Fungi Can Help Concrete Heal Its Own Cracks [soylentnews.org]

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