Vicat studied the setting of mortars and developed his own. The first building using it is the bridge at Souillac (Dordogne), erected in 1818.
The material was popular but was superseded by Portland cement. He also invented the Vicat needle that is still in use for determining the setting time of concretes and cements. His son Joseph Vicat founded Vicat Cement, which is today a large international cement manufacturing company.
Guy Coriono (1997) 250 ans de l'École des Ponts et Chaussées en cent portraits. 222 pp. Presses de l'École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, Paris, ISBN2-85978-271-0.
Antoine Picon (1997) L'art de l'Ingénieur. Constructeur, entrepreneur, inventeur. 598 pp. Editions du Centre Pompidou, Paris, ISBN2-85850-911-5.