Abstract
Self-sensing ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) features superior mechanical capacity, excellent erosion resistance, long life cycle, and broad range of stress sensing, and is expected to be a pathway towards next-generation smart cementitious composites. This study presents a novel strategy to achieve electrical percolation and elevate the piezoresistive sensing capability of UHPC through the incorporation of multiphase and multiscale functional additives including graphene (G) and carbon nanotube (CNT). The workability, compressive strength, microstructural characteristics, and alternating current (AC) impedance response are investigated. The effect of electrical percolation on the piezoresistive behaviour is studied and discussed using various ratios of G/CNT. Results indicate that as the G/CNT ratio decreases from 4:0 to 0:4, the compressive strength is reduced from 194.7 MPa to 166.3 MPa due to the certain increase in the plastic viscosity of fresh mixture and the proportion of harmful pores, although the basic requirement of 150 MPa is met. Moreover, the AC impedance response significantly moves left and the radius of high-frequency arc reduces from 72910 Ω to 1295 Ω, suggesting electrical percolation. Bounded by percolation threshold, the fractional change of resistance curves can be divided into a two-stage pattern (i.e., linear and nonlinear stages) and a three-stage mode (i.e., linear decrease, balance, and abrupt increase stages). An underlying mechanism is proposed to explain the tremendous change in piezoresistive behaviour of self-sensing UHPC, considering the tunneling-percolation theory and electromechanical coupling behaviour. Additionally, the gauge factors range from 11 to 28, which is higher than most of the existing reported values, demonstrating the great potential of using hybrid functional nano-additives in self-sensing UHPC.
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