The behaviour of soil stabilised with nanoparticles: an extensive review of the present status and its applications

Abstract

Due to the rapid growth of nanotechnology, many researchers from the field of science and engineering have expressed a keen interest to extend the research in this field. Soil is a complex material which is used for ecological and non-ecological functions. The increasing demands of improvement in geotechnical properties lead to different stabilization techniques such as chemical stabilization, electrical stabilization, and stabilization by geotextiles and fabrics. The theoretical and practical understanding of the variation in soil properties due to the addition of nanoparticles is yet to be explored. The present review is an attempt to summarise the applications of nanotechnology in geotechnical, construction, and transportation engineering. In the present paper, some common nano-imaging systems used in geotechnical engineering are also listed which are used for microstructural characterization of soils to investigate the pattern, bonding, and pores inside the soil. The research is limited in the field that is mainly because of the high cost and probably it will reduce in the near future due to a rise in large-scale demand for nanoparticles. The addition of a small amount of nanoparticles in the soil can result in extraordinary improvement in the soil properties. The present paper is an attempt to summarise the applications of nanotechnology in geotechnical engineering. In past, the researchers have observed an improvement in index properties as well as engineering properties of soil due to the addition of nanoparticles.