Transport of Water and Chloride Ion in Cement Composites Modified with Graphene Nanoplatelet

Abstract

Cement composites are vulnerable to harsh environments in which the chloride ions can ingress into concrete and thus cause corrosion of steel. In this study, the barrier effect of adding 2-D nanoparticles on the transport properties of cement-based materials was investigated. Graphene nanoplatelet (GNP), which comprises of a few layers of graphene stacked together, is chosen as a candidate in this study due to its impermeability and also its electrical conductivity which can be exploited for self-sensing functionality. Due to the large aspect ratio of the GNP, it is expected that the dispersion of these 2-D nanobarriers can contribute to the reduced permeability and diffusion of harmful agents. Experiments were carried out on cement mortar with 0%, 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.5% of GNP by weight of cement. The water penetration depth, chloride diffusion coefficient and chloride migration coefficient were reduced by 64%, 70% and 31% respectively with the addition of as little as 2.5% of GNP. This reduction can be attributed to the barrier effect of GNP which increases the tortuosity against water and chloride ions penetration, and also the refinement of the capillary pores which was revealed from the MIP tests. At GNP content exceeding 5%, the nanoparticles agglomerate, causing weak pockets which compromises the benefits of adding GNP to impede the ingress of fluids.