A Study on the Healing Performance of Mortar with Microcapsules Using Silicate-Based Inorganic Materials

Advancements in material science have led to the development of various self-healing concrete technologies. Among these is the use of microcapsule-based self-healing materials. This study evaluated the effects of self-healing microcapsules on the quality and healing properties of mortar. A silicate-based inorganic material mixture was used as the healing material tested with ordinary Portland cement. Accordingly, the effects of microcapsules (MCs) on the rheological, mechanical, and healing properties of mortar were determined. The mixing of MCs reduced the plastic viscosity and yield stress of the cement composite material owing to the particle properties of the MCs. The reduction was in proportion to the mixing ratio. The evaluation results show that the unit water permeability decreased owing to the healing reaction immediately after crack initiation. The healing rate was more than 95% at 7 days of healing age when more than 3% of MCs was mixed. This study provides a reference for the optimal mixing rate of MCs to achieve an ideal concrete healing rate.