Nanotechnology takes construction material performance to the next level, beyond contemporary capabilities of cement and concrete systems.
NANOARC's construction materials reinforcement sector specializes in the design and manufacture of Quantum Concrete (QuantCreteTM). These are sustainably developed, eco-friendly nanoadditives made with ultrahigh blaine, high-performance nanomaterials, known as Quantum Materials.
THE CORE ISSUE
Porosity is very important, in determining the strength of a material. In bone, increased porosity, is what causes bone fragility (osteoporosis). The same concept applies to ceramics, metals, etc.
Pores in concrete determine the strength and overall ability of the construction material to withstand mechanical strain caused by heat, shear forces or chemical degradation. Pores with a size of 2.5 to 20 nanometers (nm) (or 0.0025 to 0.02 microns) are considered harmless pores. Pores with a size of 20 - 50 nm (0.02 - 0.05 microns), are less harmful pores. Pores above 50 nm (0.05 microns), are harmful and compromise the longterm stability of a construction material like concrete.
It goes without saying, that to improve concrete resilience to agents of degradation, nanomaterials with a size range below 20 nm (0.02 microns), that deliver physiochemical functionality specific to the problem being tackled, are in fact a necessity. This sub 20 nm particle size range, corresponds to what nanotechnology classifies as quantum materials. Hence the term, Quantum Concrete, or QuantCrete.
WHAT IS QUANTCRETETM ?
QuantCrete are high performance nanoadditives, that can be used in cement replacement endeavours as well as property enhancement of both cement and concrete systems.
QuantCrete systems are chemically composed of materials already known to the construction sector but differ in that, they are ultra-high performance, Atomically Architectured quantum materials with particle dimensions in the sub 20 nm range.
When QuantCrete products are added in very small amounts typically within construction material systems, they confer both structural integrity and superior functionality, with less cement. QuantCrete systems enable the final construct to withstand agents of degradation such as shear forces, corrosion, chemical attack temperature fluctuations and ionising radiation.
The construction industry currently relies on silica fume for concrete performance improvement. Silica fume typically has blaine values of 15,000 - 30,000 cm2/g. QuantCrete blaine values range from 359,300 to 1,486,400 cm2/g for the substantial enhancement of cement and concrete systems. At such high blaine values, our nanoadditives are very reactive for accelerated curing, cementitious, porosity minimising, corrosion inhibiting and enable a seamless reduction in the carbon footprint of both cement and concrete.
When QuantCrete products are added typically within the 0.00007 to 0.0002 wt% range, they convert conventional concrete, cementitious and other associated construction material systems, into superior/high-performance systems.
With QuantCrete, we supply the most essential nanoadditives, that make your cement, concrete, asphalt and rammed earth products perform better. Like nature takes carbon and converts graphite to diamond, we take simple materials you're familiar with, and upgrade their performance significantly.
THE NEED FOR A LOWER CARBON FOOTPRINT
The production of portland cement is a substantially high CO2 emission process. Approximately 900 kg of CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere, for every 1000 kg of portland cement produced. It is hence important, to lower cement content, without negatively impacting the performance of your construction material, or losing competitive advantage in a project. QuantCrete helps you achieve that goal.
Our test data already shows, that high strength can be achieved and sustained with 15% less cement content, by replacing it with just 2.4g of QuantCrete, in a cubic meter of concrete mix. This measures directly as a reduction in the CO2 emission levels of your construction system, by 15% and you can lower the emission levels further, with the right formulations. With the ongoing concerns surrounding global climate, we believe it is essential to factor in the reduction of cement in your construction processes, and balancing performance with smarter material systems, such as QuantCrete.
With such low volume requirements, we can ship QuantCrete to you, anywhere in the world. So essentially, for every 1000 tonne concrete mix, you will need on average 1 kg of QuantCrete, depending on your designated application or field of use.
USING QUANTCRETETM TO OFFSET CARBON CREDITS
We offer an opportunity for the members of the construction industry to earn their own carbon credits, not by third party procurement but rather directly, via the redesign of their building materials and offsetting the carbon footprint of the materials they use in construction projects.
The construction industry currently relies on silica fume for concrete performance improvement. Condensed silica fume typically has blaine values of ~ 200,000 cm2/g. QuantCrete is developed using NANOARC's proprietary nanomaterial design and manufacturing process, to achieve much higher blaine values than silica fume, negating the need for any grinding processes. Our blaine values range from 359,300 to 1,486,400 cm2/g for the substantial enhancement of cement and concrete systems.
Unlike silica fume, slag and fly ash , NANOARC's QuantCrete nano-admixtures are non-toxic, silica-free and are not byproducts of energy-intensive, high CO2 emission refractory processes. The high blaine values of QuantCrete products enable them to be very reactive in order to serve the prupose of accelerated curing, efficient cementitious reactions, improve workability, reduce porosity, enhance corrosion resistance and enable a seamless reduction in the carbon footprint of both cement and concrete products.
The absorption of carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) into concrete (carbonation) has detrimental effects to the longterm integrity of the material structure. QuantCrete nanoadditives are designed to counteract the acidic effects of carbonation, thuse extending the service life of concrete.
At an average dose of just 2.4g per cubic meter (0.07 oz. per cubic yard) of concrete, a compressive and flexural strength increases of approx. 20% can be achieved.
This increased performance in concrete is possible with less cement content, with deductions starting from about 10 - 17 %, depending on the QuantCrete product and dosage used. These reductions in cement usage enable an offset of carbon credits of about 0.22 - 0.37 per cubic meter of concrete (1 carbon credit = 1 tonne of CO2).
Simply put, this corresponds to an average reduction of about 220 - 370 kg of CO2 per cubic meter of concrete, all whilst enabling the development of a more robust construction material system.
The CO2 emission levels of contemporary concrete are estimated at 410 kg per cubic meter. As such, QuantCrete nanoadditives can help reduce CO2 emissions in concrete by approx. 54 - 90%, depending on the dosage and product(s) used. Should the interest be to achieve net zero emissions concrete system, blends of QuantCrete nanoadditive formulations can be adopted for various areas of construction needs.
QuantCrete nanoadditives pave a simple and seamless path towards durable, high-performance and ultra low emission construction.
PERFORMANCE BENEFITS
WHAT WE TACKLE
Essentially, we tackle durability.
The durability QuantCrete products confer to building materials, is designed to mitigate the high costs associated with maintenance and repairs.
Simply put, QuantCrete serves as a longterm cost-saving remedy ; The cost of reinforcement is a few extra hundred Pounds, Euros or dollars now, to spare you from hundreds of thousands to millions in maintenance costs in the future.
The key source of structural failure in construction systems, comes from porosity. Pores cause cracks, structural failure and enable the penetration of corrosive agents.
In construction materials, pores are rated as harmful, less harmful and harmless. These pores are 10 - 100 times smaller than granular ZnO, cement clinker and silica fume products, currently being used on the market.
Contemporary construction materials are still subject to porosity-induced structural failure. Cracks that form are penetration sites for degradation agents like bacteria, humidity & salinity, that in turn create unsightliness and corrode rebar. Conventional materials also need flexural strength to withstand mechanical strain when bending under pressure from either strong winds, tremors or earthquakes.
HOW QUANTCRETE RESOLVES IT
Our QuantCrete nanomaterial selection consists of high surface area, atomically-architectured, naturally occurring mineral mixed compounds, depending on their designated function. Functionally, QuantCrete Products fall into two main categories:
1) QUANTCRETE FILLER
2) QUANTCRETE FLEX
QUANTCRETE NANOFILLER:
High specific surface area (blaine) nanopowders, with grain sizes below 20 nanometers (0.02 microns), and are 1000 times smaller than granular Zinc Oxide, silica fume and cement clinker. When added to a cement/concrete mix, the nanoparticles fill pores and densify concrete, to potentiate resistance to crack formation, and structural failure. Depending on the chemical composition, the materials offer some of the following, among others:
- Substantially reduce porosity
- Ultra-high corrosion resistance
- Lower alkali reactivity
- Mitigate sulphate Attack
- Increase soil Stabilisation
- Nuclear radiation shielding
- Ultraviolet (UV) light blockage
- Increase compressive strength
- Prohibit the penetration of moisture and growth of unsightly agents (e.g. bacteria, mold, mildew).
QUANTCRETE FLEX:
This unique product is singular in the nanomaterial market and the first of its kind. It consists of atomically-thin two-dimensional (2D) nano-sheet materials, similar in morphology to graphene but chemically different. Despite being atomically thin, the material spans several microns in size. This structure confers an ultrahigh surface area, significantly boosting the reactivity and performance of the material, beyond that of QuantCrete Filler systems.
QuantCrete Flex is designed to deliver a more superior performance and compensate for QuantCrete Filler shortcomings, by slipping
between cracks and pores, where only small molecules can penetrate, and Filler materials can't go. It densifies the concrete structure, without increasing its weight and further minimizes air penetration.
When added to a cement/concrete mix, its role is to bring in an additional factor - flexural strength (twist/flex). The “flex” sites created by the materials, are designated to enable concrete to better withstand tensile strain, in circumstances like:
Earth movement - earthquakes
Weather elements - hurricanes, strong tidal waves/currents
Ravages of time - climate & human-induced degradation
HOW TO USE QUANTCRETETM
Add QuantCrete nanopowder to your product (e.g. concrete, cement, micro-cement, mortar, grout, clay, etc) in the dry phase, mix thoroughly to allow distribution of the QuantCrete nanoparticles, then hydrate and proceed as usual. Nature does the rest.
DOSAGE
On average, you require approximately half a teaspoon of QuantCrete i.e. 2.4 grams per cubic meter (m3) (or ~ 0.07 oz. per cubic yard) of concrete.
CONSTRUCTION REDEFINED
Nanotechnology in the construction industry, creates a twist in perspective. In a domain where the familiar scenario is to use large quantities of materials, nanotechnology is the exact opposite. In the latter world, you achieve more by using less. QuantCrete creates a whole new exciting experience for the construction industry, and opens the pathway to previously unattainable prospects in architecture.
Do you know we currently achieve 172 coulombs with just 0.0001 wt % of QuantCrete Filler in a concrete mix? The ideal solution for bridges, submerged floating tunnels, corrosion-resistant sewer channels and significantly challenging technically demanding constructs.
With QuantCrete, we give you a unique opportunity to engage construction with via a value-based model, as opposed to the traditional volume-based approach. Under a value-based model, you achieve more robust infrastructure with quality and performance-amplifying quantum materials, in less volume, in order to be sustainable, profitable and minimise the carbon footprint of each architectural pursuit or edifice.
Wonder what else QuantCrete has to offer but need help understanding nanomaterials ?
For basic usage questions or if you require technical assistance in a more advanced product development procedure, request a consultancy service.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Place your QuantCreteTM order and get a 10% Discount off your first purchase or sample and put our claims to the test.