To achieve this general goal, concrete has been produced that can be used not only for prefabricated parts. It can also be used as structural concrete, so that the materials and aggregates are mixed according to the mixing plan and after concreting, setting and curing, a high-strength structural lightweight concrete with light transmission will be obtained.

Reducing the specific gravity of concrete with existing materials so that it is in the category of lightweight structural concrete.

Increasing the strength of concrete with existing materials in order to achieve concrete of class C40 and above, achieving lightweight concrete with the ability to be used in structural members and reducing electricity consumption and preserving energy resources for future generations have been among the other goals of this project.

* You mentioned some of the features and advantages of this project compared to other manufactured concretes available in the consumer market. Tell us about the other capabilities of this patent?

Environmental protection by increasing the duration of natural light in places, reducing energy consumption due to its light transmission properties, using waste materials in order to recycle and protect the environment, reducing the costs of curing and maintaining concrete due to its light transmission properties, improving the behavior of structures using high-strength lightweight structural concrete, and reinforcing historical structures by preserving the value of historical monuments are among other capabilities of this concrete.

Its positive effects can be stated as improving all behaviors of ordinary concrete, including compressive strength, bending, abrasion, water absorption, frost, resistance to acidic and alkaline environments, and very high thermal resistance.

The specific gravity of this concrete is 1680 kg/m^3, and its 28-day compressive strength is 80 MPa, flexural strength is 1.12 MPa, wear width is 11.2 mm, and its water absorption is zero.

* Now, considering the features and capabilities that this concrete has compared to other concretes, some of which you mentioned, does it seem that this new concrete will have wide applications in the construction industry?

Yes, as mentioned, this concrete can be used in special-purpose buildings such as museums, where direct sunlight is harmful to stored items, to provide light and illumination.

Also, due to the passage of light, structures can continue to operate for a longer period of time without turning on the lamp in the desired environment.

Another noteworthy point is that due to the use of nanotechnology in this concrete, public passages can be illuminated by sunlight by installing solar cells under this concrete on sidewalks, and due to zero water absorption, there is no possibility of the concrete being destroyed in the winter. Also, due to the use of nanotechnology in this concrete, it is resistant to acidic and alkaline environments.

However, by lighting and identifying traffic signs or advertisements, the light transmission feature can be used in public places. And also by using this concrete in the reinforcement of historical monuments, the historical value of these monuments can be preserved.

* How did you come to the idea that using nano technology, it is possible to achieve the manufacture and production of concrete with this capability?

The idea of ​​​​manufacturing and producing this concrete goes back to LITRACON, the production of transparent concrete. Because light-transmitting concrete is considered today as a new building material with high usability. This material is a combination of optical fibers and concrete particles and can be used as prefabricated building blocks or panels. Due to their small size, the fibers are mixed with concrete and form a combination of a granular material. In this way, the result of the work is not simply a combination of two materials, glass and concrete, but a new third material that is completely homogeneous in terms of internal structure and external surfaces is obtained.

In fact, Litracon is used to produce prefabricated parts and has a non-structural application, in which optical fiber is used in many layers and cement slurry is poured between them.

For this purpose, we were looking for a type of light-transmitting concrete that, in addition to having the property of transmitting light, can be used in structural elements in addition to non-structural elements.

For this reason, by forming a three-person group (Ehsan Dadkhah Khiabani, PhD student in Earthquake Engineering at the University of Tabriz, along with Hassan Namazi Rabati, full professor at the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Tabriz, and Mohammad Khairollahi Dehkharaghani, PhD student in Structural Engineering at Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz), we were able to achieve our goal within 2 years of effort and effort.

* How much does it cost to produce each cubic meter of this concrete and what steps are on your agenda to improve it in the future?

Considering the implementation aspects of this type of concrete, we are continuing to try to increase the transparency of this concrete in addition to improving the natural light transmission rate and also reduce its cost.