{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,16]],"date-time":"2025-10-16T03:37:52Z","timestamp":1760585872721,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,7,17]],"date-time":"2020-07-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1594944000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000001","name":"National Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["CMMI-1750316","CBET- 1707093"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CMMI-1750316","CBET- 1707093"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000001","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The remarkable mechanical properties and piezo-responses of carbon nanotubes (CNT) makes this group of nanomaterials an ideal candidate for use in smart cementitious materials to monitor forces and the corresponding structural health conditions of civil structures. However, the inconsistency in measurements is the major challenge of CNT-enabled smart cementitious materials to be widely applied for force detection. In this study, the modified tapioca starch co-polymer is introduced to surface treat the CNTs for a better dispersion of CNTs; thus, to reduce the inconsistency of force measurements of the CNTs modified smart cementitious materials. Cement mortar with bare (unmodified) CNTs (direct mixing method) and surfactant surface treated CNTs using sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (NaDDBS) were used as the control. The experimental results showed that when compared with samples made from bare CNTs, the samples made by modified tapioca starch co-polymer coated CNTs (CCNTs) showed higher dynamic load induced piezo-responses with significantly improved consistency and less hysteresis in the cementitious materials. When compared with the samples prepared with the surfactant method, the samples made by the developed CCNTs showed slightly increased force detection sensitivity with significantly improved consistency in piezo-response and only minor hysteresis, indicating enhanced dispersion effectiveness. The new CNT surface coating method can be scaled up easily to cater the potential industry needs for future wide application of smart cementitious materials.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s20143985","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,7,17]],"date-time":"2020-07-17T10:22:02Z","timestamp":1594981322000},"page":"3985","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Surface Treatment of Carbon Nanotubes Using Modified Tapioca Starch for Improved Force Detection Consistency in Smart Cementitious Materials"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"20","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9174-4969","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Leonard","family":"Chia","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA"},{"name":"Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gina","family":"Blazanin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ying","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Umma Salma","family":"Rashid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nanoenvirology Research Group, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1640-3598","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pan","family":"Lu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0238-5947","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Senay","family":"Simsek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wheat Quality and Carbohydrate Research Group, Department of Plant Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Achintya","family":"N. Bezbaruah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nanoenvirology Research Group, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,7,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"193","DOI":"10.1177\/0021998305053458","article-title":"Identification of fiber-reinforced plastic failure mechanisms from acoustic emission data using neural networks","volume":"40","author":"Ativitavas","year":"2006","journal-title":"J. Compos. Mater."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"23","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1022636512843","article-title":"On the possibility of discrimination of mixed mode fatigue fracture mechanisms in adhesive composite joints by advanced acoustic emission analysis","volume":"117","author":"Dzenis","year":"2002","journal-title":"Int. J. 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