An Investigation into the Properties and Microstructure of Cement Mixtures Modified with Cellulose Nanocrystal

Jessica Flores; Mahsa Kamali; Ali Ghahremaninezhad

doi:10.3390/ma10050498

An Investigation into the Properties and Microstructure of Cement Mixtures Modified with Cellulose Nanocrystal

Materials (Basel). 2017 May 4;10(5):498. doi: 10.3390/ma10050498.

Authors

Jessica Flores¹, Mahsa Kamali², Ali Ghahremaninezhad³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA. j.flores7@umiami.edu.
² Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA. m.kamali@umiami.edu.
³ Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA. a.ghahremani@miami.edu.

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the effect of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) on the hydration, transport behavior, and microstructure of cement mixtures. The addition of CNC delayed hydration at an early age but improved hydration at later ages. A small increase in the electrical resistivity of the cement mixtures with CNC was observed. Statistical nanoindentation showed a small tendency to a larger volume fraction of high density calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) and a smaller volume fraction of low-density C-S-H in the mixture with CNC.

Keywords: CNC; cement mixture; hydration; microstructure.