Inspired by the material that makes up oyster and abalone shells, engineers at Princeton have created a new cement composite that is 17 times more crack-resistant than standard cement and 19 times more able to stretch and deform without breaking. The findings could eventually help increase the crack resistance of a wide range of brittle ceramic materials, from concrete to porcelain.
“If we can engineer concrete to resist crack propagation, we can make it tougher, safer and more durable,” said researcher Shashank Gupta, a graduate student in Reza Moini’s lab in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
