Influence of CNT, graphene nanoplate and CNT-graphene nanoplate hybrid on the properties of lightweight concrete

Abstract

Abstract This study is aimed to investigate the influence of carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplates on the properties of lightweight concrete. Several lightweight concrete specimens were prepared with different concentrations of carbon nanotube, graphene nanoplates, and combinations of graphene nanoplates and carbon nanotubes. The concrete specimens were prepared both with and without the ultrasonication dispersion method to differentiate between the properties of lightweight concrete. The results indicate that the compressive strength of lightweight concrete samples was slightly increased by the incorporation of carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplates. The utilization of the ultrasonication energy method was found to be more effective to improve the mechanical performance of lightweight concrete than the composite specimen prepared without the ultrasonication energy method. The composite specimens prepared with carbon nanotubes shows higher improvement in compressive strength than the concrete specimen prepared with the same concentration of graphene nanoplates. While the maximum improvement in compressive strength was noticed for the composite samples prepared with the combination of carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplates.