The use of nanosensors for monitoring civil structures

Abstract

Nano-sensors were tested to demonstrate whether nanotechnology could be obtained efficiently in the civil engineering field. The objective of the experiment was to reach a specific amount of resistance and electric conductivity produced by the sensors, which were later compared to other researches. The sensor was fabricated using carbon nanotubes (CNT) more specifically multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT’s) as a conductive material and Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a polymer. Three samples were made with different CNT percentages. The material was then coated on a compact tension specimen and tested in tension. The results obtained were positive. The coating materials contained a good amount of resistance. Fabricated tube shaped coating materials were additionally tested on their ductility. The calculated electric conductivity correlated well when compared to other researches. Therefore, it was concluded that nano-sensors could be fabricated with the results obtained. However, to improve the main experiment conducted, a slightly more brittle compact tension specimen is recommended to obtain better and more accurate results.