Advanced applications of emerging 2d nanomaterials in construction materials

Modern infrastructures require smart, resilient and durable construction materials towards a much more sustainable building and construction industry. The emerging two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials offer great opportunity for the advancement of the next-generation construction materials due to their unique mechanical, electrical, optical and thermal properties. For example, the 2D graphene, graphene oxide and boron nitride nanosheets were found to be competitive candidates as the highly efficient nano-reinforcing materials for cementitious materials due to their ultrahigh aspect ratio and extraordinary mechanical properties. Beyond nano-reinforcement and interface tailoring, the multifunctionalities of these atomically thin materials render them potentials in a much broader range of applications in civil engineering such as structural health monitoring and energy conserving building components. However, these potentials have not been well explored yet. This paper introduces the great potential of novel 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) family of MoS2 and WS2 to be applied as the advanced components in infrastructures. Large-scale synthesis and transfer of 2D TMDs towards industrial application was presented. The potential of these novel nanomaterials as candidates for next-generation sensors and low energy building components was then demonstrated. This paper can provide outlooks and open up further possibilities for novel 2D nanomaterials with smart functionalities to be applied as advanced components in construction materials.