Recent progress in vascularization of cementitious composites: Fundamental concepts, strategies and applications

This paper delves into the innovative realm of vascularization within concrete, a technique that embeds channel networks into the concrete matrix, mirroring the vascular systems found in living organisms. This approach facilitates the flow of diverse substances throughout the material, significantly expanding the functionalities of concrete beyond its traditional use. The work studies the core principles behind optimizing vascular networks in cementitious materials, from established methods like Constructal Law and Murray’s Law to computational approaches and lesser-known theories like Percolation Theory and Darcy’s Law. The discussion extends to fundamental fluid dynamics principles - Hagen-Poiseuille, Bernoulli’s, Continuity, and Navier-Stokes Equations - and their significance in vascular network design. Additionally, the paper outlines various strategies to construct these vascular networks, addressing the evolution of fabrication methods over time and the challenges encountered. While most existing research focuses on self-healing and thermal regulation capabilities, this paper also explores the potential of vascular networks for a broad spectrum of applications. Through this review, the paper underscores vascularization's transformative potential in shaping concrete technology's future. • An innovative realm of nature-inspired vascularization within concrete was reviewed. • Core principles behind optimizing vascular networks in cementitious materials were summarized. • Fundamental fluid dynamics principles and their significance in vascular network design were reviewed. • Various strategies to construct vascular networks and the challenges encountered were reviewed. • Applications of vascularization in concrete such as self-healing and thermal regulation were discussed.