Carbon nano-tubes in improving the mechanical property of cement-based composite materials

Xu Wu,Li Dai

doi:10.3221/igf-esis.41.50

Abstract

Carbon nano-tubes as a kind of novel nanometer material have been extensively applied in cement-based composite materials to improve their properties. This study prepared carbon nano-tubes cement based composite materials by evenly scattering carbon nano-tubes in cement materials using ultrasonic method and emphatically investigation the improvement of the mechanical property. The results demonstrated that, the addition of carbon nano-tubes could significantly relieve the mechanical properties of cement based composite materials. When the mixing amount of carbon nano-tubes reached the optimal value, i.e., 0.1%, the improvement of the mechanical property of the carbon nano-tubes cement based composite materials was the best. The microstructure analysis using scanning electron microscope suggested that, carbon nano-tubes produced bridging and pullout effects in the cement-based materials, which enhanced the damage resistance of the cement based materials.

Highlights

With the rapid development of modern society, requirements for the mechanical property of cement concrete whose demand is the largest and which is the most widely used construction material has become stricter and stricter
In 2003, Campillo I. et al [10] from Spain reported the reinforcement of cement-based composite materials using carbon nano-tubes for the earliest and found single-wall carbon nano-tubes and multiple-wall carbon nano-tubes could improve the compressive strength of cement paste for 6% and 30% respectively in 14 days and that effective control of the structure of multiple-wall carbon nano-tubes in cement base could significantly enhance its strength
Carbon nano-tubes were evenly scattered in water solution by ultrasonic method using cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), and the solution was added into cement paste to investigate mechanical and endurance performance of the carbon nano-tubes cement-based composite materials

Summary

INTRODUCTION

With the rapid development of modern society, requirements for the mechanical property of cement concrete whose demand is the largest and which is the most widely used construction material has become stricter and stricter. Multiple-wall carbon nano-tubes which is low in cost and has achieved scale production and extensive application is usually applied in the study of reinforced composite materials. Carbon nano-tubes were evenly scattered in water solution by ultrasonic method using cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), and the solution was added into cement paste to investigate mechanical and endurance performance of the carbon nano-tubes cement-based composite materials. Effects of carbon nano-tubes on the compressive strength of cement-based composite materials were investigated by performing a compressive strength test with a WHY microprocessor controlled fully automatic press machine. The morphology of carbon nano-tubes cement-based composite materials was characterized using a SU-70 thermal field emission scanning electron microscope, and the mechanism of interaction between carbon nano-tubes and cement was initially explored

DISCUSSION

Findings

CONCLUSIONS