Smart Self-Healing and Self-Sensing Cementitious Composites—Recent Developments, Challenges, and Prospects

Abstract The use of smart cementitious materials is becoming increasingly critical for the enhanced serviceability of structures. The addition of carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, and various nano-powders such as nano-silica, carbon black, and graphite giving cementitious materials electrical properties that can be used for self-sensing has been known for almost two decades. Many sensing principles and techniques using smart materials have been successfully developed and applied mostly in laboratory testing over last few decades. The strong capacity of Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composites for autogenous healing in addition to crack control (especially in the case of Strain-Hardening Cementitious Composites) has been reported by many researchers. Similarly, the applications of different mineral and bio-additive materials to achieve the self-healing of cracks have been noted with great interest. Design for serviceability based on the durability of the materials used in concrete structures is often neglected. With durability performance testing becoming more sophisticated, detailed service life design is being demanded in the most important infrastructure projects. The present review is focused on identifying field applications and highlighting the Performance-Driven Design Approach for tailoring material solutions for the problems likely to be faced by civil infrastructures in the future. A real-life case study is presented to illustrate the minimal cost implications of adopting the latest smart material for an eco-friendly, durable, reliable, and resilient infrastructure. Identifying critical challenges faced by the industry and developing solutions for the same is going to help bridge the current gaps between research and adoption.