TY - JOUR A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph A1 - Johann, Sergej A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias T1 - Smart RFID Sensors Embedded in Building Structures for Early Damage Detection and Long-Term Monitoring N2 - In civil engineering, many structures are made of reinforced concrete. Most Degradation processes relevant to this material, e.g., corrosion, are related to an increased level of material moisture. Therefore, moisture monitoring in reinforced concrete is regarded as a crucial method for structural health monitoring. In this study, passive radio frequency identification (RFID)-based sensors are embedded into the concrete. They are well suited for long-term operation over decades and are well protected against harsh environmental conditions. The energy supply and the data transfer of the humidity sensors are provided by RFID. The sensor casing materials are optimised to withstand the high alkaline environment in concrete, having pH values of more than 12. Membrane materials are also investigated to identify materials capable of enabling water vapour transport from the porous cement matrix to the embedded humidity sensor. By measuring the corresponding relative humidity with embedded passive RFID-based sensors, the cement hydration is monitored for 170 days. Moreover, long-term moisture monitoring is performed for more than 1000 days. The Experiments show that embedded passive RFID-based sensors are highly suitable for long-term structural health monitoring in civil engineering. KW - RFID based sensors KW - Embedded sensors KW - Corresponding relative humidity KW - Porous building materials KW - Reinforced concrete KW - Corrosion KW - Civil engineering PY - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-500831 VL - 19 IS - 24 SP - 1 EP - 18 PB - MDPI CY - Basel, Swiss AN - OPUS4-50083 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bartelmeß, Jürgen A1 - Zimmek, David A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias A1 - Strangfeld, Christoph A1 - Schäferling, M. T1 - Fibre optic ratiometric fluorescence pH sensor for monitoring corrosion in concrete N2 - In this communication a novel concept for pH sensing is introduced which is specifically adapted to monitor carbonation induced corrosion in concrete structures. The method is based on a ratiometric measurement principle, exploiting the pH sensitive colour switching of thymol blue in the basic pH regime and the emissive properties of two different (Zn)CdSe/ZnS core shell quantum dots. The transition point of thymol blue in a Hydrogel D4 matrix was determined to be at around pH 11.6, which fits ideally to the intended application. Next to the fundamental spectroscopic characterization of the ratiometric response, a new design for a sensor head, suitable for the incorporation into concrete matrices is presented. Toward this, a manufacturing process was developed which includes the preparation of a double layer of polymers containing either thymol blue or a quantum dot mixture inside a porous ceramic tube. Results of a proof-of-priciple performance test of the sensor head in solutions of different pH and in cement specimens are presented, with encouraging results paving the way for future field tests in concrete. KW - Fiber optic sensing KW - PH monitoring in concrete KW - Embedded sensors KW - Ratiometric fluorescence PY - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c9an02348h VL - 145 IS - 6 SP - 2111 EP - 2117 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-50381 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -