Self-healing concrete-What Is it Good For?

Self-healing of concrete is the process in which the material regenerates itself repairing inner cracks. This process can be produced by autogenous or autonomous healing. Autogenous healing is a natural process, produced by carbonation and/or continuing hydration. Autonomous healing is based on the use of specific agents to produce self-healing, which can be added directly to the concrete matrix, embedded in capsules or introduced through vascular networks. Some examples are superabsorbent polymers, crystalline admixtures, microencapsulated sodium silicate, and bacteria. This review is structured into two parts. The first part is an overview of self-healing concrete that summarises the basic concepts and the main advances produced in the last years. The second part is a critical discussion on the feasibility of self-healing concrete, its possibilities, current weaknesses, and challenges that need to be addressed in the coming years.