Nanomechanical and Surface Morphological Properties of Hydrated Cement Paste Containing Volcanic Ash and Micro-or Nano-Silica

Abstract

The current trend in concrete science and technology is to characterize the cementitious materials in multiscales so that the optimal performance of concrete can be achieved with the minimal use of cement as well as sustainable materials. It has been realized that the new properties of many materials are discovered when examined at nanoscale. Nanoindentation test has been adopted as a technique to examine the nanomechanical properties of cementitious materials leading to an improvement of their macro-mechanical performance in terms of strength development, tailoring of desired properties, and durability. The evidence of an experimental investigation to evaluate the influence of micro-and nanocement additives on the nanomechanical properties and the surface morphology of the hydrated cement paste is presented in this paper. The effect of additives on the compressive strength of binary and ternary blended cement paste was also examined. It could be concluded from these studies that the effect of the additives on the properties of cement paste matrix at macroscale, microscale, and nanoscale can be correlated, and mixes can be designed for the optimal performance by multiscale investigation.