Materials Engineering and Nanotechnology for Enhancing Structure Resistance to Seismic Activity

In the aftermath of the catastrophic and devastating earthquake that struck Syria in past February, it was necessary to re-evaluate the mechanisms used to protect our facilities in light of this type of natural disaster. Hence, it was necessary to integrate the efforts of specialists and researchers from various related specialties to put together a sum-up of their experiences to help improving the standards used when reconstructing buildings again on modern scientific grounds. In this context, materials engineering in general and nanotechnology, in particular,a play an important role in providing a wide variety of new engineering materials and innovative solutions that contribute to improving the endurance of structures and buildings to cracks and raise the efficiency of their resistance to collapse. This article aims to present diverse and integrated approaches offered by materials science and nanotechnology in the field of earthquake-resistant construction. Some of these approaches are currently applied in a number of countries known for their almost continuous exposure to earthquakes, such as Japan, while others are still under engineering research and development. Thus, the article sheds light on emerging and promising research axes in the field of new materials and opens the way for researchers interested in gaining knowledge.