Core‐Shell System Based on Gelatin and Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) (PVA) for Concrete Self‐Healing Applications: Synthesis, Characterization, and Optimization

Abstract

Insofar the cost of repairing concrete structures reaches the trillions of dollars, new technologies, such as concrete self-healing, are investigated continuously. Consequently, the main objective of this work is on the production of a cheap and easy-to-make material, which can be used in large-scale applications, besides presenting similar results as other ones more complex systems. In brief, a core-shell system is produced and investigated as a self-healing agent. Aiming this, a mix of gelatin and sodium silicate (Na 2 SiO 3 ) is used as the core, while poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is the glutaraldehyde crosslinked shell. The obtained materials are characterized using several techniques, such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), as well as, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). FTIR proves the obtaining of the proposed system. In turn, TGA and DSC showed that the material could endure real-life applications. Also, granulometry tests show that the obtained materials are mostly in the micrometric scale. The Na 2 SiO 3 release is especially tested in aqueous media, proving the core-shell system swells, releasing its active agent. Thereby, the obtained results allow concluding that the presented core-shell material is useful to the self-healing applications.