Investigation on the Mechanical Properties of a Cement-Based Material Containing Carbon Nanotube under Drying and Freeze-Thaw Conditions

Wei-Wen Li; Wei-Ming Ji; Yao-Cheng Wang; Yi Liu; Ruo-Xu Shen; Feng Xing

doi:10.3390/ma8125491

Investigation on the Mechanical Properties of a Cement-Based Material Containing Carbon Nanotube under Drying and Freeze-Thaw Conditions

Materials (Basel). 2015 Dec 14;8(12):8780-8792. doi: 10.3390/ma8125491.

Authors

Wei-Wen Li¹, Wei-Ming Ji², Yao-Cheng Wang³, Yi Liu⁴, Ruo-Xu Shen⁵, Feng Xing⁶

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Key Provincial Durability Center for Marine Structure, Shenzhen Durability Center for Civil Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China. liweiwen@szu.edu.cn.
² Guangdong Key Provincial Durability Center for Marine Structure, Shenzhen Durability Center for Civil Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China. weimingji163@gmail.com.
³ Guangdong Key Provincial Durability Center for Marine Structure, Shenzhen Durability Center for Civil Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China. wangyc_szu@126.com.
⁴ Guangdong Key Provincial Durability Center for Marine Structure, Shenzhen Durability Center for Civil Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China. 2141150214@email.szu.edu.cn.
⁵ Shenzhen Graduate School of Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China. ruoxushen@gmail.com.
⁶ Guangdong Key Provincial Durability Center for Marine Structure, Shenzhen Durability Center for Civil Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China. xingf@szu.edu.cn.

Abstract

This paper aimed to explore the mechanical properties of a cement-based material with carbon nanotube (CNT) under drying and freeze-thaw environments. Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry and Scanning Electron Microscopy were used to analyze the pore structure and microstructure of CNT/cement composite, respectively. The experimental results showed that multi-walled CNT (MWCNT) could improve to different degrees the mechanical properties (compressive and flexural strengths) and physical performances (shrinkage and water loss) of cement-based materials under drying and freeze-thaw conditions. This paper also demonstrated that MWCNT could interconnect hydration products to enhance the performance of anti-microcracks for cement-based materials, as well as the density of materials due to CNT's filling action.

Keywords: carbon nanotube (CNT); cement-based material; drying; durability; freeze-thaw; mechanical property.