Concrete is the world’s most widely used construction material – but it cracks. Mimicrete has come up with a solution to slow down time.
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Founders: Zijing Li and Lívia Ribeiro de Souza
Year founded: 2021
Website: mimicrete.com
Biomimicry is when designs from the natural world are replicated by humans; and Mimicrete is a perfect example of what can be achieved. It’s a novel, long-lasting concrete that’s inspired by how the human body heals.
Founders Zijing Li and Lívia Ribeiro de Souza, then researchers from the University of Cambridge, saw the potential to apply vascular networks to concrete, in order to solve the pervasive issue of the material cracking over time.
In this way, Mimicrete not only promises to increase the lifespan of concrete – therefore helping alleviate the environmental cost of making the material – but also saves the building industry money.
Unlike traditional self-healing solutions that only seal small cracks slowly, Mimicrete’s bio-inspired vascular system heals large cracks rapidly and autonomously – restoring strength without manual intervention,
“Unlike traditional self-healing solutions that only seal small cracks slowly, Mimicrete’s bio-inspired vascular system heals large cracks rapidly and autonomously – restoring strength without manual intervention,” the team explains.
The results mean that Mimicrete can deliver faster repair times (within 24 hours), which is critical in the building industry where margins are often tight. “This combination of scale, speed, durability, and sustainability sets Mimicrete apart in a market that urgently needs high-impact, low-carbon innovations,” the team adds.
The duo proved that their concept worked, but still had to convince what they call a traditionally risk-averse and slow-moving industry that this innovation should be adopted. They overcame this by focusing on evidence and partnerships, winning a £450k Innovate UK grant in 2022, and a £250k investment from Morgan Stanley last October.
This combination of scale, speed, durability, and sustainability sets Mimicrete apart in a market that urgently needs high-impact, low-carbon innovations,
“We secured early-stage funding to validate our technology and partnered with established industry leaders to run real-world trials”, the Mimicrete team tells us. “By demonstrating that our system could heal large cracks rapidly and meet international structural standards, we built the trust and credibility needed to move from lab to site.”
The startup is now being trialled in live construction projects, including large-scale bridges. The team also continues to collaborate with leading UK universities to conduct structural simulation and advanced material testing.
The ambition is for the material to become market-leading; but the ultimate hope is that Mimicrete could change the building industry for better. As they state, “we want to help shape a more durable and environmentally responsible built environment.”
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