Sometimes science is truly sublime. Most of Houston’s freeways
are now made of concrete, which is more durable than asphalt.
But as anyone who has driven on a freeway knows, it’s by no
means perfect. Concrete is, by definition, a porous material.
The problem comes when water seeps into concrete and then
contracts and expands with changing temperatures. Water also
corrodes the reinforcing steel bars inside the concrete. So you
get cracks. Lots of them. And eventually some lucky contractor,
typically a large campaign donor, gets a nice fat contract to
come in and resurface or even rebuild the freeways. But what if
there were a way to effectively seal off concrete roads and
other structures cheaply? A new study from Jordanian researchers
suggests there just may be, and the answer lies in a salt &
vinegar potato chip ingredient that provides a tangy snap:
sodium acetate Available sealants, such as silicate solutions,
are less than ideal. Sodium acetate has more promise, and it’s
environmentally friendly. In lab s