An analysis of the commercialisation barriers of self-healing concrete

¹ Ghent University, Department of Marketing, Innovation and Organisation; Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Tweekerkenstraat 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
² Ghent University, Department of Structural Engineering and Building Materials ; Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 60, B-9052, Ghent, Belgium

^* Corresponding author: lais.barros@ugent.be

Abstract

Interest in more sustainable construction has grown in recent years. Evidence indicates that larger societal trends and the economic climate have an impact on the transfer of new technologies in the construction sector from university to industry. The transition to sustainability and concerns regarding climate change represent pressing issues to innovate in the sector. In order to decrease CO₂ emissions from cement production, strategies have been developed to reduce the environmental burdens, such as the use of smart materials. The goal is to use more durable materials. Significant research has been performed into the development of self-healing technologies for concrete as a smart material. The advantages of self-healing concrete are many and can be significant to all stakeholders, including researchers, companies and end users. In spite of the progress made by past research, the commercialisation of self-healing concrete is still in its infancy. To fulfil this need, our study examines the commercialisation of self-healing concrete as a process complicated by divergent barriers. By carrying out semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, this study generates its contribution: the development of the self-healing concrete value chain identifying the commercialisation barriers as well as the analysis of these barriers that the innovation encounters along its value chain.