Self-curing concrete: a state-of-the-art review

The population growth resulted in a sharp surge in construction work. Water is required for the mixing, curing and monitoring of cement hydration processes in concrete. In self-curing concrete, the availability of additional internal water that was not mixed in, causes the cement to hydrate. Due to the fact that concrete cures from the inside out, self-curing concrete helps to reduce water waste. Concrete that cures on its own totally eliminates the risk of diminished strength and durability from improper curing. In order to produce eco-friendly self-curing concrete, the current study examines the mechanism of self-curing, several techniques for producing self-curing concrete and the impact self-curing agents. Polyethylene glycol, lightweight expanded clay aggregates, lightweight aggregate, superabsorbent polymers, superfine powders, and natural fibres as curing agents used effectively as a self-curing agent in order to achieve effective results. Present study reviews the feasibility of producing low and high-strength self-curing concrete with judicious utilization of various self-curing agents. The discussion also included the utilisation techniques of curing agents in the production of self-curing concrete considering physical, mechanical, and microstructure aspects. Adopting self-curing agents in concrete improves hydration process, mechanical characteristics, durability, crack susceptibility behaviour, and capacity to reduce drying and autogenous shrinkage. Additionally, reduction in permeability observed and the interfacial transition zone between the curing agent and the cement paste matrix has improved.