Dr. Hongyan Ma assistant professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, located in Rolla, Mo., is researching ways of making nanoparticle-infused concrete safer and more durable, according to a news post published by the college.

Dr. Ma states in a Missouri S&T news article that his method consists of creating "calcium carbonate nanoparticles" by blowing carbon dioxide into "highly diluted wet cement," which will cause the nanoparticles to form in a sort of suspension. Then you use this combination to mix the concrete.

In traditional methods of adding nanoparticles to concrete, the ????????(R)???AE???(R)?berfine nanoparticles would often clump together, resulting in some areas being stronger than others. Dr. Ma's method solves this dilemma by creating an even distribution of nanoparticles throughout the concrete.

To further his studies for the next three years, Dr. Ma received a $160,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. As stated in the aforementioned news article, Dr. Ma hopes that existing concrete plants will use his method to bolster their mixes.

Another benefit of his new procedure is that it reduces the chances of contracting harmful respiratory or heart complications due to breathing in airborne nanoparticles. This is made possible because the mixture is created in a wet solution thus disallowing the nanoparticles to become airborne.
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