ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the concept and state of the art of cement-based sensors (CBS) incorporating carbonbased materials. Incorporation of carbon-based materials into cement composites can allow selfsensing of mechanical strain. Self-sensing performance is strongly determined by the type and concentration of carbon-based materials and especially the dispersion of nanoscale materials. Various factors influence the electrical resistivity of CBS. In general, it is well known that the electrical resistivity of CBS can affect their piezoresistive properties. The health monitoring of entire structures, therefore, is limited, and the artificial sensors must be applied after precise prediction of the weakest parts in structures. In addition, inaccurate estimation of the weakest parts of structures may lead the sensors to be useless for structural health monitoring. Cement composites such as cement pastes, mortars, and concretes are typically heterogeneous and are produced by mixing cement and water, with or without aggregates.
