STTR Phase I: Controlling Molecular Morphology and Aggregation Mechanisms in Next-Generation Cementitious Materials

该小企业技术转让第一阶段项目的重点是设计一种环保、廉价的水泥水合物，具有上级机械性能，适用于多种结构部件。水泥是混凝土中的关键增强成分，其生产占全球能源使用量的2-3%，占全球二氧化碳排放量的5-10%。目前还没有其他材料可以取代水泥作为基础设施的骨干材料。该项目将创建新的协议，整合最先进的合成，表征和测试，以合成水泥水合物，其强度不仅是典型产品的两倍，而且消除了水泥制造和使用过程中的大部分能源消耗和二氧化碳排放。该项目的核心在于水泥水合物的基本构建块的拓扑功能化，硅酸钙-水合硅酸盐，以及多种尺寸的纳米颗粒的沉淀。这种新的战略提供了一个实质性的机会，以减少水泥的环境足迹，因为它使能源密集型原材料的使用，并利用改进的材料力学？少花钱多办事？该项目的广泛影响/商业潜力是巨大的。产生具有上级机械性能的水泥水合物不仅将通过需要使用更少的材料而使所有基于混凝土的基础设施受益，而且还将产生更流线型的产品，这将在整个建筑行业中带来几个优势，例如减少劳动力，降低运输要求和更快的施工。国内水泥市场规模为120亿美元，这表明潜在的重大环境和经济影响。更重要的是，该项目的创新研发方法将对减少与水泥制造相关的能源消耗和环境足迹产生重大影响。后者目前是水泥工业面临的关键技术挑战之一。基于材料固有的分子特征，这一变革性项目将对生态友好型水泥材料的设计产生广泛影响，并将影响陶瓷和胶体系统等其他领域。因此，整个项目将为探索制造水泥基材料和其他颗粒系统的全新方法创造潜力。

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project focuses on designing an eco-friendly, inexpensive cement hydrate with superior mechanical properties and applicable to several structural components. Cement is the key strengthening ingredient in concrete, the production of which accounts for ~2-3% of global energy use, and 5-10% of worldwide CO2 emissions. There is currently no other material on the horizon that can replace cement as the backbone material for infrastructure. This project will create novel protocols integrating state-of-the-art syntheses, characterizations and testing to synthesize a cement hydrate, which is not only twice as strong as than typical products, but eliminates a significant portion of both the energy consumption and CO2 emissions during cement manufacturing and use. The core of this project lies in topological functionalization of the basic building blocks of cement hydrate, Calcium-Silicate-Hydrate, and precipitation of nanoparticles of multiple sizes. This novel strategy provides a substantial opportunity to reduce the environmental footprint of cement, because it enables the use of less energy-intensive raw materials, and also leverages improved material mechanics to ?do more with less?.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is substantial. Creating a cement hydrate with superior mechanical properties will not only benefit all concrete-based infrastructure by requiring less material to be used, but will also result in more streamlined products, which will confer several advantages across the construction sector, such as reduced labor, reduced transportation requirements, and faster construction. The domestic cement market size is $12 billion, indicating the potential for significant environmental and economic impacts. More importantly, the innovative research and development approaches of this project will have a significant influence on reducing the energy consumption and environmental footprint associated with cement manufacturing. The latter currently stand among the key technical challenges facing cement industry. Rooted in the inherent molecular features of materials, this transformative project will have a broad impact in the design of eco-friendly cementitious materials, and will also impact other fields such as ceramics and colloidal systems. As such, the overall project will create the potential for exploring an entirely new approach for manufacturing cement-based materials and other particulate systems.