Nanotechnology in Construction and Civil Engineering

This paper introduces relevant nanotechnology developments to convey the new and inspire creativity in civil engineering. The recent researches on nano materials and nanotechnologies have highlighted the potential use of these materials in various fields such as medicine, construction, automobile industry, energy, telecommunications and informatics. It has been observed that the inclusion of nano particles would improve the toughness, shear, tensile and flexural strength of cement based materials. Further, it is observed that the better understanding and engineering of complex structure of cement-based material at nano level will definitely result in a new generation of construction materials with enhanced properties, viz., strength and durability.
In today’s life, though utilization of cement based materials plays a vital role in the infrastructure development, it is polluting the environment by emitting CO₂. Based on this view, researchers have been pursuing to evolve new or alternate material towards a green and sustainable solution. This paper presents the possible role of nanotechnology for the construction applications.

Keywords— Civil Engineering, Construction, Nanomaterials, Sustainability.