They are the hated curse of most modern roads that cost long-suffering drivers millions of pounds in repairs every winter. But potholes could soon become a relic of the past due to futuristic plans to produce self-healing concrete.
Scientists are experimenting with the groundbreaking new material, which uses special bacteria to plug gaps and cracks opened up by bad weather.If successful, it could be used to ensure smoother journeys for drivers across the country. Researchers at the University of Bath, Cardiff University and the University of Cambridge created the concrete blend, which is full of bacteria hidden in tiny capsules.
As soon as water seeps into a crack, the bacteria quickly burst out their cases and produce limestone, sealing the gap up before it can widen and become a pothole.
By embedding calcite-precipitating bacteria in the concrete mixture, it is possible to create concrete that has self-healing capacities. As the pH value of concrete is very high, only the so-called alkaliphilic bacteria are able to survive. Several of these bacteria were mixed into a cement paste and after a month found the spores of three particular bacteria where still viable.
The Self Healing Concrete project is part of the TU Delft wide Self-healing Materials research programme at the Delft Center for Materials (DCMat).
