The present invention includes well treatment fluids and methods utilizing nano-particles and, in certain embodiments, to sealant compositions and methods utilizing nano-particles. The nano-particles may be incorporated into the sealant composition in different forms, including as discrete nano-particles, encapsulated nano-particles, agglomerated nano-particles, or in a liquid suspension.

The present invention includes well treatment fluids and methods utilizing nano-particles and, in certain embodiments, to sealant compositions and methods utilizing nano-particles. The nano-particles may be incorporated into the sealant composition in different forms, including as discrete nano-particles, encapsulated nano-particles, agglomerated nano-particles, or in a liquid suspension.

The present invention includes well treatment fluids and methods utilizing nano-particles and, in certain embodiments, to sealant compositions and methods utilizing nano-particles. The nano-particles may be incorporated into the sealant composition in different forms, including as discrete nano-particles, encapsulated nano-particles, agglomerated nano-particles, or in a liquid suspension.

The invention generally relates to a method of making a plastic aggregate, and its use to make concrete products. The aggregate is formed by providing a granulated waste plastic material, introducing the granulated waste plastic material into an extruder having a die, the die having a ratio of die nozzle open area to die land area of about 1:10 to about 1:40, and extruding the granulated waste plastic material through the extruder to generate an extruded plastic aggregate. The method can include the presence of controlled cooling, the addition of additives and treatment of the surface of the aggregate to produce a desired aggregate that can be used to make a concrete product with desired properties, such as compressive strength and weight.

A process for increasing the hydrophobicity of a porous product by treating the product, or a composition providing for the product, with a water repellent material, characterized in that the porous product or a composition providing the product, is treated with an aqueous suspension of microcapsules where the microcapsules comprise a water repellent organosilicon core material selected from an organosilane, a partially condensed organosilane and a branched siloxane resin, and a shell of a silicon-based network polymer comprising silica units.

Composite fibers and methods of manufacturing composite fibers for the reinforcement of concrete are provided. The composite fibers include fibers and a polymeric coating. The composite fibers have a length of about 10 mm to about 80 mm and an equivalent diameter from about 0.3 mm to about 2 mm. A method for reinforcing concrete using the composite fibers is further provided.

Electromagnetically-induced cement concrete crack self-healing diisocyanate microcapsules include raw materials, in parts by weight, comprising 15-55 parts of petroleum resin, 5-10 parts of paraffin, 5-10 parts of polyethylene wax, 3-10 parts of magnetic iron powder and 20-67 parts of diisocyanate. The diisocyanate microcapsules use the diisocyanate as a core material, and the petroleum resin/paraffin/polyethylene wax/magnetic iron powder mixture as the shell of the capsule. When micro cracks occur in the concrete, the crack propagation can break partial of the microcapsule inside, the diisocyanate inside the microcapsules flows out and diffuses into the crack and is subjected to a solidifying reaction with water in the concrete, so that the crack is repaired in time; and for the microcapsules that are not broken by cracks, external electromagnetic field can be applied to melt the shell to release the diisocyanate inside, thereby diffusing into cracks and solidify with water to repair them.

Integrally waterproof fiber cement composite materials including interior and exterior fiber cement articles for building structures are disclosed. Fiber cement formulations include small percentages of silica fume and silanol. Formulations may additionally include a cementitious binder, silica, and a density modifier such as calcium silicate or perlite. Advantageously, the addition of preselected small percentages of silica fume and silanol has been discovered to yield waterproofness at substantially lower concentrations of silica fume and silanol than would be required to yield waterproofness when using either silica fume or silanol alone.

Embodiments of the invention are amendments to hot-mix asphalt (“HMA”) which open new price/performance areas to asphalt cement concrete (“ACC”) pavement. Equivalent-performing pavement may be made at lower cost, or higher-performing pavement may be made at equivalent-to-prior-art cost. The amendments, recycled asphalt pavement (“RAP”, and including recycled asphalt shingles [“RAS”]), and reinforcing fiber (aramid fiber) may be adjusted as described herein to achieve a desired price/performance target.

The invention relates to processes for making improved ultra-high performance concrete with plasma-treated inclusions and articles made from the same. The invention includes a process for producing silicon carbide and multiwalled carbon nanotubes by heating agricultural waste husks in an inert atmosphere to a temperature higher than 1300 degrees C. to obtain a mixture containing silicon carbide and MWCNTs, and treating the mixture to extract the silicon carbide and MWCNTs for use as microinclusions in ultra high performance concrete.