NITK faculty member gets patent for 鈥榮elf-healing鈥� brick

01 Jul 2022 CW Team

A faculty member of the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) at Surathkal has received an Indian Patent for a cement mortar brick that includes bacteria in its combination, which is said to be superior to conventional bricks in terms of strength and life of the structure, and possesses a 鈥榮elf-healing鈥� property.

The research paper by Dr T Palanisamy, Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, NITK, is titled 鈥楳icrobialcreat Composite鈥�. The patent was applied for in 2014 and received in June this year. According to Dr Palanisamy, microbialcreat composite is a new-age material that heals itself upon cracking. This happens through the precipitation of lime (calcium carbonate) by non-pathogenic bacteria used in the composite. A faculty research group is working on wider applications of the technology.

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