Smart Self-Healing Materials For Sustainable Construction: Progress And Challenges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63665/tgma6984Keywords:
self-healing materials, smart infrastructure, sustainable construction, microcapsule healing agents, intrinsic self-repair, vascular healing networks, lifecycle cost reductionAbstract
Self-healing smart materials are a revolutionary class of engineered materials that can autonomously detect and
repair physical damage to various structures with little or no external intervention, similar to the regenerative
properties of biological systems. This review paper presents a meta-analysis of more than 200 relevant primary
studies focused on the use of self-healing materials in the sustainable development, with literature published from
2005 to October 2024. This review focuses on three main types of self-healing systems: intrinsic (i.e. reversible
chemical bonding), extrinsic microencapsulated healing agent (single-shot) and vascular network-type where the
mechanism allows multiple cycling of repair. The major results show that microbial or polymeric-based self
healing concrete can heal 80–95% of compressive strength following crack formation, and self-healing polymers
restore nearly all tensile properties at ambient thermal conditions. Recent research advances in the areas of both
shape-memory alloys and ionomer-based composites also further extend infrastructure usage to bridges, tunnels,
pavements and coastal structures. The report demonstrates that maintenance interventions can be reduced enough
to provide lifecycle cost savings of 30-50%, while embodied carbon savings of 15-25% are achievable over
structural lifespans of 50 years. However, challenges pertaining to scale-up, long-term field usage and
standardisation have yet to be solved. This paper reviews the published work, highlights key gaps in knowledge,
and suggests opportunities for utilising self-healing smart materials in relation to wider sustainable infrastructure
policy and praxis.
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