Cryogenic Stability of Cement-based Materials at Micro/Nano Scale

Materials usually show anomalous behaviors at ultra-low temperatures. Cryogenic concrete withstands prolonged exposure to temperatures as low as -165 °C and endures repeated ultra-low temperature freezing-thawing cycles. However, such cryogenic environments pose significant challenges to the safety and durability of cement concrete. This book presents an exploration to uncover the secrets of micro/nanostructures and properties of cement concrete under cryogenic attack. Across concise chapters, it introduces the fundamental concepts of cryogenic concrete and calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H), followed by an in-depth examination of pore stability, degradation pathways, and molecular-editing strategies for C-S-H. Additionally, it addresses nanomechanical behavior and frost damage from an atomistic perspective, delivering a complete picture of cryogenic concrete.

Dr. Zhengwu Jiang is a Distinguished professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tongji University, China. He is the director of the Key Laboratory of Advanced Civil Engineering Materials, Ministry of Education, China. He is also the editor-in-chief of Journal of Building Materials, the vice chairman of the Cement Committee and Solid Waste Committee (the Chinese Ceramic Society), the director of the Fundamental Theory and Application of Concrete Committee (the Architectural Society of China), ACI and RILEM members. Dr. Jiang is engaged in academic research in the field of sustainable cement-based materials, properties of cement-based materials under extreme environments, self-healing cement-based materials, and high-performance concrete with manufactured sand. He is the author of more than 200 technical papers and 7 monographs and received more than 80 patents. He is the editor of more than 10 Chinese standards related to high-performance concrete with manufactured sand. Due to his contribution to the sustainable development of high-performance concrete in China, Dr. Jiang has been awarded more than 10 national, provincial, and ministerial awards, including the 2nd prize of the National Technology Invention Award and the 2nd prize of the Ministry of Education Technology Invention Award. His research outputs have been applied to more than 60 key projects, including the world’s highest bridge, the Beipanjiang Bridge.

Dr. Xinping Zhu has been a CNRS researcher at Laboratoire Navier (École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (Institut Polytechnique de Paris), Université Gustave Eiffel, CNRS) since 2024. He specializes in multiscale modeling and multiscale experimental characterization of cement-based materials. His research topics include frost damage of porous media, molecular motion at interface, and cement decarbonization. He received his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering at China University of Geosciences (Wuhan, China) in 2017. He obtained his Ph.D. in Material Science and Engineering at Tongji University (Shanghai, China) in 2022, for studying the cryogenic stability of cement-based materials under the supervision of Prof. Zhengwu Jiang. During his Ph.D. study, he also worked on confined crystallization using molecular simulation under the supervision of Prof. Laurent Brochard and Prof. Matthieu Vandamme at École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (Marne-la-Vallée, France). Before joining CNRS, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Laboratoire de Mécanique et Génie Civil (LMGC), Université de Montpellier (Montpellier, France).