CAREER: Development of Novel High-Performance Carbon Sink Concrete Materials Using Sustainable Multifunctional Hybrid Additives

该学院早期职业发展计划(CALEAR)奖支持为碳沉混凝土材料开发新型多功能混合材料和内部二氧化碳(CO2)养护工艺的研究，以解决碳化混凝土系统的根本局限性。实现和维持净零排放需要先进的材料和方法来长期封存人为二氧化碳。通过粘结剂碳化生产混凝土材料每年有可能消耗大约10亿吨二氧化碳。碳化混凝土材料的应用还可以大大减少普通波特兰水泥生产过程中的二氧化碳排放。尽管近几十年来与碳化混凝土材料相关的重大技术发展，但这些环保材料在结构和非结构应用中的广泛使用取决于解决与化学、物理和加工相关的障碍。这项研究将专注于使用可持续的性能增强添加剂对碳化过程进行微观工程设计，这些添加剂将被用于设计碳化混凝土材料的一系列微观结构。它将尝试设计具有优异机械和耐久性能的下一代高性能碳汇混凝土，以满足或超过不同地理区域建筑和基础设施应用的性能要求。这项工作的教育目标将通过在费城高中和大学以及在专业社区通过开展可持续基础设施讲习班、多学科本科生团队竞赛和可持续混凝土研讨会来促进关于气候变化和可持续建筑实践的重要性的知识来补充研究目标。该教育计划旨在通过战略性地瞄准和招收代表性不足的学生，加强STEM劳动力的多样性。这项研究的总体目标是使用杂化聚合物对碳化过程进行微观工程设计，这种聚合物可以执行多种功能：(I)作为内部二氧化碳来源来延长碳化过程；(Ii)调节局部pH以维持碳酸盐的沉淀；以及(Iii)作为碳酸盐成核/生长场所来改变过程的动力学和产物。多功能杂化聚合物将被用来设计一系列微结构，将微结构特征与碳化材料的物理性能联系起来。这些基本关系将被用来预测碳化混凝土材料在不同环境和不同加载条件下的长期性能。这项研究将试图从几个主要的科学和技术角度推动碳化混凝土材料和更广泛的碳捕获技术的发展：1)利用耦合的原位同步辐射技术揭示杂化聚合物的作用机理，2)开发新的先进分析技术来研究碳化混凝土体系中的碳化反应和微观结构演变，3)开发高效可持续的外加剂来自下而上地设计碳化混凝土材料。这项研究将推进材料科学、粘结剂化学、多孔介质力学以及先进的分析和成像技术方面的知识基础。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award supports research to develop novel multi-functional hybrid materials and internal carbon dioxide (CO2) curing processes for carbon-sink concrete materials to address the fundamental limitations of carbonated concrete systems. Achieving and sustaining net-zero emissions requires advanced materials and methods for long-term sequestration of anthropogenic CO2. The production of concrete materials through binder carbonation has the potential to consume approximately one billion tons of CO2 annually. The application of carbonated concrete materials can also largely reduce CO2 emissions from the production of ordinary portland cement. Despite the major technological developments related to carbonated concrete materials in recent decades, the expanded use of these eco-friendly materials in structural and non-structural applications depends on addressing the chemical, physical, and processing related barriers. This research will focus on micro-engineering the carbonation process using sustainable performance-enhancing additives that will be exploited to design a range of microstructures for the carbonated concrete materials. It will attempt to design next-generation high-performance carbon-sink concrete with superior mechanical and durability properties to satisfy or surpass performance requirements for building and infrastructure applications in different geographic regions. The educational objectives of this work will complement the research goals by advancing knowledge on climate change and the importance of sustainable construction practices in Philadelphia high schools and colleges, as well as in the professional community by developing Sustainable Infrastructure Workshops, Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Team Competitions, and Sustainable Concrete Seminars. The education plan aims to enhance the diversity of the STEM workforce through strategic targeting and recruiting of underrepresented students. The overarching goal of this research is to micro-engineer the carbonation process using hybrid polymers that can perform multiple functions: (i) serve as internal CO2 sources to extend the process; (ii) regulate local pH to sustain the precipitation of carbonates; and (iii) serve as carbonate nucleation/growth sites to alter the kinetics and products of the process. The multi-functional hybrid polymers will be exploited to design a range of microstructures to link microstructure characteristics to the physical properties of carbonated materials. These fundamental relationships will be employed to predict the long-term performance of carbonated concrete materials in different environments and under various loading conditions. This research will attempt to advance the specific state-of-the-art in carbonated concrete materials and more broadly carbon capture technologies from several major scientific and technological perspectives such as: 1) uncovering the functioning mechanism of hybrid polymers using coupled in-situ synchrotron techniques, 2) developing novel advanced analytical techniques for studying carbonation reaction and microstructure evolution in carbonated concrete systems across length scales, and 3) developing efficient sustainable additives to engineer carbonated concrete materials from the bottom-up. This research will advance the knowledge base in materials science, binder chemistry, porous media mechanics, and advanced analytical and imaging techniques.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.