STTR Phase I: Building with Carbon: Improving Construction Materials with Nanocarbon Additives from Natural Gas

STTR 第一阶段：碳建筑：使用天然气中的纳米碳添加剂改进建筑材料

• 批准号: 1914147
• 负责人: George Skoptsov
• 金额: $ 22.5万
• 依托单位: H Quest Vanguard, Inc.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-06-15 至 2021-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1914147&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: STTR; Phase; Building; Carbon; Improving

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is the improvements to the strength, durability, and longevity of concrete infrastructure and construction materials with novel graphene-rich carbon nanomaterial additives. Advancement of this technology area (advanced materials/nanomaterials for infrastructure applications) will directly reduce the costs of construction and maintenance ($165B/year in public spending) while supporting the nation's core economic activities ($14T/year in transported goods). The enhanced strength and longevity of nanocarbon coatings and concrete composites will reduce the amount of raw material required to meet specifications resulting in a net reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (concrete production is responsible for 7% of global GHG emissions). The innovation will enhance scientific understanding of the effect of graphene-rich additives on the permeability and strength of concrete and coating composites using both advanced analytical techniques (x-ray tomography) and industry standard procedures (ASTM testing). It will also enhance understanding of the processing required (e.g. functionalization and dispersion) to integrate graphene-rich additives into polyurethane materials and concrete. Additionally, the project will help refine the plasma-based process conditions to produce carbon materials optimized for these applications.This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will demonstrate enhancement of mechanical properties and impermeability of construction materials' concrete and concrete coatings using graphene-rich nanocarbon additives derived from microwave plasma conversion of natural gas. The permeability of concrete is its primary pitfall and is responsible for the two most common causes of failure: carbonation and chloride contamination. Sealants can extend concrete's lifespan but are expensive to apply and often deteriorate rapidly due to environmental effects (UV, chemicals, mechanical abrasion). Graphene additives can enhance the barrier properties and mechanical strength of concrete and sealants, but are currently too costly for construction and infrastructure applications. The objective of this project is to enhance the barrier and mechanical properties of concrete and sealants using a novel graphene-based carbon nanomaterial produced using a cost-effective, scalable, plasma-based process. Carbon nanomaterials will be produced at varied process conditions and, following post-treatment and functionalization, will be incorporated into polyurethane formulations and concrete mixtures. Water and chloride penetration into composites will be examined using advanced x-ray tomographic 3D imaging. Composites will undergo further testing in accordance with AASHTO/ASTM-standards. The anticipated results will establish the technical benefits of using graphene-based nanocarbon additives in concrete and sealants.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是使用新型富含石墨烯的碳纳米材料添加剂改善混凝土基础设施和建筑材料的强度，耐久性和寿命。这一技术领域的进步（用于基础设施应用的先进材料/纳米材料）将直接降低建设和维护成本（每年1650亿美元的公共支出），同时支持国家的核心经济活动（每年14万亿美元的运输货物）。纳米碳涂层和混凝土复合材料的强度和寿命的提高将减少满足规格所需的原材料数量，从而净减少温室气体排放（混凝土生产占全球温室气体排放量的7%）。这项创新将利用先进的分析技术（X射线断层扫描）和行业标准程序（ASTM测试），加强对富含石墨烯的添加剂对混凝土和涂层复合材料渗透性和强度影响的科学理解。它还将增强对将富含石墨烯的添加剂整合到聚氨酯材料和混凝土中所需的加工（例如官能化和分散）的理解。此外，该项目还将帮助完善等离子体工艺条件，以生产针对这些应用优化的碳材料。这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目将展示使用从微波等离子体转化天然气中提取的富含石墨烯的纳米碳添加剂，增强建筑材料混凝土和混凝土涂层的机械性能和抗渗透性。混凝土的渗透性是它的主要缺陷，并负责两个最常见的失败原因：碳化和氯化物污染。密封剂可以延长混凝土的使用寿命，但使用成本高，而且由于环境影响（紫外线、化学品、机械磨损），密封剂通常会迅速劣化。石墨烯添加剂可以增强混凝土和密封剂的阻隔性能和机械强度，但目前对于建筑和基础设施应用来说过于昂贵。该项目的目标是使用一种新型石墨烯基碳纳米材料来增强混凝土和密封剂的阻隔性和机械性能，该材料是使用具有成本效益的、可扩展的、基于等离子体的工艺生产的。碳纳米材料将在不同的工艺条件下生产，经过后处理和功能化后，将被纳入聚氨酯配方和混凝土混合物中。水和氯化物渗透到复合材料将使用先进的X射线断层扫描三维成像检查。复合材料将根据AASHTO/ASTM标准进行进一步测试。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。