The present invention provides a bidirectional energy-transfer system comprising: a thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete, disposed in a structural object; a location of energy supply or demand that is physically isolated from, but in thermodynamic and/or electromagnetic communication with, the thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete; and a means of transferring energy between the structural object and the location of energy supply or demand. The system can be a single node in a neural network. The thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete includes a conductive, shock-absorbing material, such as graphite. Preferred compositions are disclosed for the thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete. The bidirectional energy-transfer system may be present in a solar-energy collection system, a grade beam, an indoor radiant flooring system, a structural wall or ceiling, a bridge, a roadway, a driveway, a parking lot, a commercial aviation runway, a military runway, a grain silo, or pavers, for example.

Cured cements, cement slurries, and methods of making cured cement and methods of using cement slurries are provided. The cured cement comprises cement, carbon nanotube sponges disposed within the cement, and conductive fibers disposed within the cement, in which the conductive fibers interconnect the carbon nanotube sponges and form a conductive web within the cured cement.

Cured cements, cement slurries, and methods of making cured cement and methods of using cement slurries are provided. The method of making a modified cement slurry includes adding particles comprising carbon nanotube sponges disposed on sacrificial templates to a cement slurry to form the modified cement slurry and allowing the sacrificial templates to disintegrate, thereby leaving the carbon nanotube sponges dispersed throughout the modified cement slurry.

A method of sealing propagating cracks in a sensor-laden cement sheath comprising the steps of monitoring an electrical resistivity of the sensor-laden cement sheath to produce a measured value, wherein the sensor-laden cement sheath comprises a conductive sensor, an on-demand expanding agent, and a cement, activating a heat source when the measured value of the electrical resistivity is greater than an activation threshold, increasing a temperature of the sensor-laden cement sheath with the heat source to an activation temperature, wherein the activation temperature is operable to initiate a reaction between the on-demand expanding agent and water, wherein the activation temperature is greater than a formation temperature, reacting the on-demand expanding agent with water to produce a swelled agent, wherein the swelled agent occupies a greater volume than the on-demand expanding agent, and sealing the propagating cracks in the sensor-laden cement sheath with the swelled agent.

Cured cements, cement slurries, and methods of making cured cement and methods of using cement slurries are provided. The method of making a cured cement comprising: synthesizing nanomaterials via chemical vapor deposition on at least one of cement particles or cement additive particles to form nanomaterial particles, adding the nanomaterial particles to a cement slurry to form a modified cement slurry, and curing the modified cement slurry to form a cured cement, in which the nanomaterials are interconnected and form a conductive web within the cured cement.

The present application relates to an electrically conductive asphalt mastic (ECAM) composition that includes an asphalt binder, a mineral filler, and a plurality of conductive carbon microfibers, between 3 and 12 mm in length, which are the sole source of electrical conductivity in the ECAM composition where the conductive carbon microfibers and the mineral filler are dispersed in the asphalt binder, and wherein said conductive carbon microfibers are present in the ECAM composition in an amount of less than 2.00% of total volume of the ECAM composition. The application further relates to an electrically conductive asphalt concrete (ECAC) composition that includes an asphalt binder, a mineral filler, an aggregate, and a plurality of conductive carbon microfibers, where the conductive carbon microfibers are the sole source of electrical conductivity in the electrically conductive asphalt concrete composition.

A nanoporous carbon-loaded cement composite that conducts electricity. The nanoporous carbon-loaded cement composite can be used in a variety of different fields of use, including, for example, a structural super-capacitor as an energy solution for autonomous housing and other buildings, a heated cement for pavement deicing or house basement insulation against capillary rise, a protection of concrete against freeze-thaw (FT) or alkali silica reaction (ASR) or other crystallization degradation processes, and as a conductive cable, wire or concrete trace.

A building construction product with an electroconductive surface, the building construction product comprising a core with one or more surfaces covered by an electroconductive paper comprising carbon fibers, the electroconductive paper being attached to the one or more surfaces of the core. Methods and materials for producing the building construction products with an electroconductive surface and products and methods for shielding an area from electromagnetic waves.

A method for creating multifunctional cementitious composites that provide load-bearing and self-sensing properties. The method involves dispersing conductive nanomaterials (e.g., multi-walled carbon nanotubes) into a polymer (e.g., latex) material from which a thin film is created and deposited (e.g., sprayed) onto aggregates, which after drying, can be incorporated with cementitious materials and desired liquids and cast, along with sufficient number of electrodes, into a form for curing. After curing, the resultant structure can be electrically tested through the electrodes, for structural characteristics, including determination of damage severity and location using back-calculation utilizing electrical resistance tomography (ERT), or electrical impedance tomography (EIT), to generate a spatial resistivity map (distribution).

Disclosed are a lightweight conductive mortar material, a preparation method therefor and use thereof. The lightweight conductive mortar material includes the following components in parts by weight: 100 parts of cement, 25 parts to 60 parts of a conductive porous lightweight aggregate loaded with a modified agar gel, and 30 parts to 45 parts of water.