Electrically Conductive Materials
Electrically Conductive Asphalt Concrete
With growing demands for smart and sustainable materials, multifunctional materials, which are structural materials possessing non-structural attributes beyond their basic mechanical functions, have become one of the hottest topics in the field of engineering research during the last decade. Imparting and controlling electrical/thermal conductivity enable construction materials to have novel smart functions such as piezo-electricity, piezo-resistivity, and electrical heating. Available applications of the smart functions to construction materials may include self-sensing, self-healing, temperature regulation, electromagnetic shielding, and energy harvesting. A method of controlling electrical and thermal conductivity of asphalt concrete was conducted through a project sponsored by the SWUTC (Southwest Regional University Transportation Center) program, and applications of conductive asphalt for self-sensing and heated pavement was investigated by an internationally funded project.