Extraordinary, high-performance composites like the ones used to build Trajan’s Market and other ancient Rome monuments are now helping provide a unique window into studying the long-term performance of cementitious systems.

Dr. Paulo J.M. Monteriro, the 2021 Jones Lecturer at S&T, will give a talk titled “Unlocking the Secrets of Ancient Roman Concrete Using Synchrotron Radiation and Neutron Scattering” at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, April 22, via Zoom.

Monteriro is the Roy W. Carlson Distinguished Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. His research team secured permission to collect many 2,000-year-old concrete samples from Rome to study. 

Monteiro will describe his comprehensive experimental program using synchrotron radiation and neutron scattering to characterize and optimize the nano and microstructure of these advanced construction materials. He will discuss how 3-D tomographic images can provide new insights into the complex nature of composite materials and how this information can be used to design better materials.