Self-Healing and Smart Concrete Systems: Materials, Mechanisms and Future Prospects

Abstract

Concrete is the most widely used construction material across the world, but it suffers from an inherent problem of cracking which reduces durability and service life of structures. Traditional repair techniques are costly, labor intensive and sometimes impractical for hidden or micro cracks. Recently, the concept of self-healing concrete and smart concrete systems has emerged as a promising solution to enhance durability, sustainability, and structural health monitoring capabilities. Self-healing concrete has the ability to autonomously repair cracks using biological, chemical, or mineral based healing agents, while smart concrete integrates sensing capabilities for monitoring stress, strain, temperature and damage. This paper presents a comprehensive review of different self-healing mechanisms including autogenous healing, bacteria based healing, encapsulated polymers, and mineral admixtures. Further, the paper discusses smart concrete technologies such as piezoresistive materials, fiber optics sensors, and nanomaterials for real-time monitoring. Advantages, limitations, practical applications, and future research directions are also highlighted. The integration of self-healing and smart functionalities in concrete can significantly transform the maintenance strategies of civil infrastructure.

KEYWORDS: Self-healing concrete, smart concrete, bacteria-based healing, microcapsules, piezoresistive sensing, durability, nanomaterials, and structural health monitoring.