From straw in bricks to modern use of microfibers in cementitious composites for improved autogenous healing – A review

•This review gives an overview of strain-hardening cementitious materials.•Biomimicry and cementitious materials are linked with each other.•Improvement of autogenous healing in cementitious materials is discussed.

Cracks in concrete are inevitable and for durability reasons, the cracks should be repaired. Concrete has the intrinsic property to heal itself. But, the passive form of autogenous healing plays only an inferior role for a complete repair of a cementitious material. The main cause is that only cracks of limited width may heal completely. For that reason, microfibers are added to the mixture, as they cause the formation of multiple small cracks. In this way, a ductile material is designed with the property to heal itself efficiently. This paper will overview the different fiber reinforced cementitious composites of the last decade, the link with autogenous healing, results from the literature and future prospects.