Format: On Campus (2-3 days a week)
Number of Students: 2
Date: July, 19- August, 19, 2021

Project Supervisor: Dr. Zeynep Başaran Bundur About the Project : Early age cracking can significantly decrease the service life of concrete structures. These cracks can provide pathways for harmful chemicals to ingress; thus, create durability problems and can lead to loss of structural integrity. Recent research in the field, proposed that it might be possible to develop a smart, cement-based material that can self-heal micro cracks. Use of biomineralization is a novel technique to provide self-healing in cement-based materials. Biomineralization is a biochemical process in which microorganisms stimulate the formation of minerals. The main purpose of this summer project is to repair the cracks on the surface of mortars via biomineralization using bacterial cells. The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a simpler, economically feasible and sustainable protection system to improve the robustness of the bacterial cells against the restrictive environment.Within the scope of this project the students will gain experience in both microbiology, chemists and building materials, as well.