Title:
Self-Healing Capability of Ambient-Cured High-Calcium-Based Alkali-Activated Engineered Composites
Author(s):
Khandaker M. Anwar Hossain and Dhruv Sood
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
123
Issue:
4
Appears on pages(s):
3-18
Keywords:
akali-activated engineered composite (AAEC); fiber; industrial waste; microstructure; powdered-form reagents; self-healing; strain hardening; strength
DOI:
10.14359/51750609
Date:
7/1/2026
Abstract:
The self-healing performance of zero-cement-based one-part ambient-cured alkali-activated engineered composites (AAECs) using 2% v/v polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers and silica sand was evaluated. The variables in the study were: binary (Class C fly ash [FA-C] and ground-granulated blast-furnace slag [GGBFS])/ternary (FA-C, Class F fly ash [FA-F], and GGBFS combination of precursors), two types of powdered-form alkaline reagents (Type 1—calcium hydroxide:sodium metasilicate = 1:2.5 and Type 2—calcium hydroxide:sodium sulfate = 2.5:1), and different preloading strain levels (0, 0.5, and 1%). The performance was based on the recovery of compressive/tensile strengths, tensile strain-hardening properties, crack sealing, and microstructural characteristics after 365 days of water curing compared to conventional engineered cementitious composites (ECCs). All AAECs (binary/ternary or reagent Types 1 and 2) exhibited enhanced/comparable self-healing performance compared to ECCs at both 0.5 and 1% preloading strain levels, exhibiting maximum recovery of tensile strength, tensile strain capacity, stress index, tensile ductility, and tensile elasticity up to 115%, 184%, 130%, 236%, and 123%, respectively, through preserving strain-hardening and microcracking characteristics with up to 96% recovery of compressive strength. This was attributed to ongoing alkali activation and pozzolanic reactions forming C-S-H/C-A-S-H in binary with additional N-C-A-S-H in ternary and calcite-binding phases, leading to matrix densification, crack sealing, and improved PVA fiber-matrix bonding, as per scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. Generally, all the AAECs exhibited the ability to recover properties, and composites with reagent 2 demonstrated superior self-healing characteristics compared to their reagent 1 counterparts, achieving complete or higher recovery of tensile strength/strain capacities compared to their virgin counterparts. This study confirmed the viability of producing cement-free, ambient-cured, self-consolidating AAECs with powdered-form reagents having satisfactory strength, strain-hardening, and self-healing characteristics for durable, sustainable construction.
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