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

这项发现补助金（DG）的主要目标是探索使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增强材料。纳米颗粒（NP），如碳纳米管（CNT）声称具有增强FRP复合歧管的这些目标性能的潜力。CNT与FRP基质具有优异的相互作用，这是由于其与微材料相比的高表面积，当以非常小的量存在时，导致改善的强度、刚度、耐热性和阻隔性。此外，特定类型的碳纳米填料也可以赋予主体FRP材料自感知能力。通过在制造FRP钢筋中引入纳米颗粒技术，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具有增强的性能。 该建议的动机主要是工业和技术需要开发一种新的多功能FRP钢筋。这项研究将推进有关材料开发，智能材料和功能集成的知识。此外，它有雄心超越孤立的研究尝试，已经在这一领域，并提供了一个局部的突破，相对于传统的方法和规则，限制了创新的解决方案技术的搜索，通过促进完整的工程设计，从纳米功能设计到结构性能评估。它还旨在建立一个理论和实验研究的闭环，交叉比较结果和成就，目的是获得最佳的材料设计和全面的程序，用于验证和评估开发的解决方案，以进行全面的实验测试。 该DG将提供一个机会，以（1）开发一种新型纳米颗粒增强的FRP钢筋，其具有改进的机械、热和阻隔性能;（2）调整/改进现有的工业生产，以允许将CNT掺入聚合物基质中，从而生产具有上级性能的FRP钢筋;（3）通过添加CNT和石墨烯来实现纳米技术，以实现自感知能力;（4）发展一个多层次的多尺度计算架构，同样依赖于微观和宏观尺度的耦合模型，以增加我们对界面行为和耐久性的理解;以及（5）展示所开发的技术在建筑业应用的好处。这项研究提案的结果将构成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名博士生，2名硕士生和3名博士后的培训，并将根据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.