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Nanotechnology can play a significant role in the construction industry and stands
at eighth position in terms of most significant areas of applications in
nanotechnology2. Nanoengineering of cement-based materials can result in
outstanding or smart properties. Introduction of nanotechnology in cement industry
has the potential to address some of the challenges such as CO2 emissions, poor
crack resistance, long curing time, low tensile strength, high water absorption, low
ductility and many other mechanical performances. A remarkable improvement in
www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=28101.php
12/29/12 Nanotechnology in the cement industry - a patent analysis
Patent Analysis
The current patent analysis has been conducted to get an overview of patent
landscape for nanotechnology applications in cement industry, with focus on
identifying nanomaterials for property enhancement, emerging trends, the major
assignees, and applications in this area. All keywords relevant to cementitious
materials along with possible synonyms, abbreviations were collected by studying
full text of selected patents, which exactly relate to the concept of hydraulic
cements.
Growth in Patents
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12/29/12 Nanotechnology in the cement industry - a patent analysis
classes. Majority of patents are filed in the area of composite cement (74 patents)
and ordinary portland cement (OPC) (71 patents) respectively, followed by gypsum-
based cement with 27 patent filings.
Geographical Distribution
China is the world leader of patent filings, their 154 patent applications contributing
41% of overall filings, representing the major and active R&D player in the area of
nano-based cementitious materials. South Korea is the second leading country with
55 patents (15% of patent filings) on nano-enabled cement, closely followed by
United States with 51 patents. Russia, Germany, Japan, France and India are the
other leading patent filing countries with 37, 18, 11, 9 and 5 patents respectively,
while the remaining patents represent a minor contribution from rest of the world.
Assignee Analysis
Dagestan State University (Russia) is the leading assignee with 15-patents to its
credit, which are mainly focussed on the development of heat resistant and high
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12/29/12 Nanotechnology in the cement industry - a patent analysis
Technology Analysis
Table 1: Various nanomaterials that are incorporated in cement and their effect on
properties.
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12/29/12 Nanotechnology in the cement industry - a patent analysis
The patents are segregated with respect to the characteristic property imparted by
incorporated nanomaterials and is represented in the form of a bubble chart as
shown in Fig. 3 below. The percentage of patents given in the chart is based on the
size of the bubble i.e. bigger size indicates greater number of patent filings
corresponding to that specific attribute.
The analysis shows that nanomaterials are mainly incorporated to enhance various
mechanical properties of cementitious materials. Introduction of carbon nanotubes
(CNTs) in cement results in the improvement of various mechanical properties and
also imparts sensing characteristics to the cement. However, the poor dispersion of
CNTs is a major obstacle in achieving good mechanical performance in a composite.
Effective methods for dispersion of CNTs such as ultrasonication and use of a
surfactant are discussed in the prior art for the preparation of high strength
concrete.
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12/29/12 Nanotechnology in the cement industry - a patent analysis
Nano-titania is well known for its chemical stability and low toxicity. Moreover, it
acts as an oxidizing agent at near UV-radiation. Concrete containing nano-titania
showed effective self-cleaning property and it is used as a major component in
polymer cement mortar for photo-catalytically degrading nitrogen oxide (NOx) and
other pollutants.
Nano-alumina is widely used in cement mortar for increasing the elastic modulus of
the cementitious material. The alundum-mullite pouring product has high
compressive strength, good washing resistance, corrosion resistance and high
thermal shock resistance, and can withstand rapid temperature changes.
Conclusions
The first patent on nano-enabled cement was published in 1996 and since then the
patenting activity has continuously increased with an exponential rise after 2007.
China has emerged as the major contributor in this area with 41% of global patents
filings. It is also interesting to note that 60% of the patents are filed by corporates
showing a clear trend of high rate of commercialization.
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12/29/12 Nanotechnology in the cement industry - a patent analysis
References
1. minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/mcs/2012/mcs2012.pdf
Become a Spotlight guest author! Have you just published a scientific paper
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Nanotechnology Spotlights
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Nanotechnology in the cement industry - a patent analysis
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