Advances in Microstructure, Durability Performance, and Self-Sensing Capabilities of Novel Functional FRP Nanocomposite Reinforcing Bars

这项发现奖助金(DG)的主要目标是探索利用创新的纳米材料和纳米技术开发用于混凝土结构的新型功能性FRP加固材料。纳米粒子(NPs)，如碳纳米管(CNTs)，被认为具有增强FRP复合材料歧管的这些目标性能的潜力。与微材料相比，碳纳米管具有较高的比表面积，因此与FRP基质具有良好的相互作用，当碳纳米管少量存在时，可以提高强度、刚性、耐热性和阻隔性。此外，特定类型的碳纳米膜还可以赋予宿主FRP材料自感知能力。通过将纳米颗粒技术引入到FRP筋的制造中，这项研究具有变革性，因为它将导致先进FRP结构材料开发的技术突破，这些材料具有传感能力，并在微观结构、耐久性和机械阻力方面增强性能。 这一建议主要是出于开发新型多功能玻璃钢钢筋的工业和技术需求。这项研究将促进关于材料开发、智能材料和功能集成的知识。此外，它的雄心是超越该领域已经进行的孤立的研究尝试，通过促进从纳米级功能设计到结构性能评估的完整工程设计，在限制创新解决方案技术搜索的传统方法和规则方面提供专题突破。它还旨在建立理论和实验研究的闭环，交叉比较结果和成果，目的是获得最佳材料设计和综合程序，以验证和评估为全面实验测试开发的解决方案。 这个DG将提供一个机会来(1)开发一种新型的纳米颗粒增强的FRP钢筋，具有更好的力学、热学和阻隔性能；(2)调整/改进现有的工业生产，使碳纳米管能够融入到聚合物基质中，用于生产性能优异的FRP筋；(3)通过添加碳纳米管和石墨烯来实现纳米技术，以实现自感应能力；(4)开发一个分层的多尺度计算框架，它同样依赖于微观和宏观尺度的耦合模拟，以增加我们对界面行为和耐久性的了解；以及(5)展示所开发的技术在建筑领域应用的好处。这项研究提案的结果将是对最先进技术的原创性贡献，并将对加拿大制造商产生真正的工业影响。 该DG将涉及9名博士、2名硕士和3名博士后的培训，并将按照NSERC关于EDI的声明进行。

The main goal of this Discovery Grant (DG) is to explore the development of novel functional FRP reinforcement for concrete structures using innovative nanomaterials and nanotechnologies. Nanoparticles (NPs) such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are claimed to have a potential for enhancing these targeted performance properties of a FRP composite manifold. CNTs have excellent interactions with FRP matrices due to their high surface area compared to micromaterials, leading to improved strength, stiffness, thermal resistance, and barrier properties when present in very small quantities. Furthermore, specific types of carbon nanofillers can also give the host FRP material self-sensing capabilities. By introducing nanoparticle technology in manufacturing FRP rebars, this research is transformative because it will lead to a technical breakthrough in the development of advanced FRP structural materials with sensing capacities and enhanced properties in terms of microstructure, durability, and mechanical resistance. This proposal is motivated mainly by the industrial and technological needs to develop a new class of multifunctional FRP rebars. This research will advance knowledge about material development, smart materials, and functionality integration. Moreover, it has the ambition to move beyond the isolated research attempts that have already been made in this field and provide a topical breakthrough with respect to traditional approaches and rules that limit the search of innovative solution techniques, by promoting the complete engineering design from the nanoscale functional design up to the structure performance evaluation. It also aims to establish a closed loop of theoretical and experimental investigations, cross-comparing results and achievements with the aim of obtaining an optimal material design and comprehensive procedure for validating and assessing the developed solutions for full-scale experimental testing. This DG will provide an opportunity to (1) develop a novel nanoparticle-reinforced FRP rebar with improved mechanical, thermal and barrier properties; (2) adapt/improve existing industrial production to allow the incorporation of the CNTs into the polymer matrix for producing FRP bars with superior properties; (3) implement nanotechnologies by adding CNTs and graphene to achieve self-sensing capabilities; (4) develop a hierarchical multi-scale computational framework that relies equally on coupled micro- and macroscale modelling to increase our understanding of the interface behaviour and durability; and (5) demonstrate the benefits of the developed technology for applications in the construction sector. The outcomes of this research proposal will constitute an original contribution to the state-of-the-art and will have a genuine industrial impact for Canadian manufacturers. This DG will involve the training of 9 doctoral, 2 master's students, and 3 postdoctoral and will be conducted in accordance with NSERC's Statements on EDI.