Multifunctional Nanogenerator-Integrated Metamaterial Concrete Systems for Smart Civil Infrastructure

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Traditional civil infrastructure requires advanced materials for enhanced functionality and mechanical properties.
• Integrating energy harvesting and sensing capabilities into concrete is crucial for developing smart infrastructure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel concept of nanogenerator-integrated mechanical metamaterial concrete.
• To design lightweight, mechanically tunable concrete with energy harvesting and sensing functionalities.
• To enable smart civil infrastructure systems with advanced capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Integration of mechanical metamaterial and nano-energy-harvesting paradigms.
• Composite structure design using reinforcement auxetic polymer lattices with snap-through buckling behavior embedded in conductive cement.
• Induction of contact-electrification via mechanical excitations for energy generation.
• Experimental investigation of mechanical and electrical properties.

Main Results:

• Metamaterial concrete systems achieved up to 15% compressibility under cyclic loading.
• Nanogenerator-integrated prototypes demonstrated a power output of 330 µW.
• Self-powered sensing functionality for distributed health monitoring of large-scale concrete structures was successfully demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• The proposed metamaterial concrete paradigm successfully integrates energy harvesting and sensing functionalities.
• The developed concrete exhibits tunable mechanical properties and significant power generation.
• This approach holds potential for designing next-generation smart civil infrastructure.