Researchers at MIT have discovered something that has eluded science for all of history. In research funded by Portuguese cement producer Cimpor, MIT has finally modeled the crystalline structure of cement hydrate. Yes, in spite of cement being the most widely used manmade building material in the world, no one really knew how it worked, at least not on a molecular level!
What does such a discovery mean? In some ways it can be compared to the unravelling of the human genome. The potential applications of the knowledge are widespread. For starters, understanding the structure of cement will make it easier to find ways to modify its properties. Inevitably it will also ease the path to methods of production with lower energy consumption and emissions.
MIT doesn’t claim to have completely defined the structure, they call their model a “first step toward a consistent model of the molecular structure of cement hydrate”. Clearly work remains to be done, but there is no doubt that this knowledge will ultimately change the industry.