Nanoengineered sustainable concrete with recycled concrete aggregates containing phase-change material

This paper presents the outcomes of an experimental investigation into graphene nanoengineered sustainable concrete, utilizing porous recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) as carriers for phase-change materials (PCM). The PCM impregnated-RCA (PCM-RCA) composite was created through an immersion technique followed by carbonation using high-purity carbon dioxide. Test results reveal that the addition of 0.02% graphene significantly enhances the 28-day compressive strength of PCM-RCA concrete compared to standard RCA concrete. In terms of thermal performance, experimental tests demonstrate that graphene reinforced PCM-RCA concrete has the potential to reduce indoor peak temperatures by 4.9 °C compared to RCA concrete. The graphene nanoengineered PCM-RCA concrete emerges as an innovative and sustainable building material suitable for thermal conditioning, offering the prospect of saving thermal energy consumption.