This paper aims to investigate the effects of edge-oxidized graphene oxide nanoflakes (EOGO) on the mechanical properties and sorptivity of cement composites. The EOGO used in this study was produced by a mechanochemical process that assists the production of EOGO in large quantities at significantly reduced costs, enabling its practical use for infrastructure construction. The scope of this work includes the use of EOGO as an additive in cement composites, including cement paste and mortar. This study explores two mixing methods: The dry-mix method and the wet-mix method. The dry-mix method uses EOGO as dry powder in cement composites whereas the wet-mix method uses a water-dispersed solution (using a sonication process). Varied percentages of EOGO, ranging from 0.01% to 1.0%, were used for both methods. To evaluate the concrete durability, the effect of EOGO addition on sorptivity of the cement composites was investigated by performing total porosity and water sorptivity tests. It was found that 0.05% of EOGO is the optimum proportion to exert the highest strength in compressive and flexural strength tests. In addition, the dry-mix method is comparable to the wet-mix method (with dispersion of EOGO), thus more practical for field engineering applications.
Keywords: cement composites; graphene oxide; mechanical properties; mix design; porosity; water sorptivity.