homeWelcome, sign in or click here to subscribe.login
     


 

 

Construction


Construction Industry Spotlight logo

Subscriber content preview

June 6, 2019

Concrete that can seal its own cracks? PNNL chemist may have the answer

  • By adding polymers to cement, Carlos Fernandez discovered the polymers can reversibly bond to fill fractures.
    • By SAM BENNETT
    Special to the Journal

    Photo by Andrea Starr/PNNL [enlarge]
    Carlos Fernandez shows cores from his geothermal project, where his team is using polymers in cement to seal the gap created in drilling gas and oil wells.

    As a chemist with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Carlos Fernandez knows that every invention has a potentially positive impact on the environment.


     
    . . .


    To read this story in full login or purchase a subscription.



    Previous columns:


    
    Email or user name:
    Password:
     
    Forgot password? Click here.