Nanocomposite of cement/graphene oxide - Impact on hydration kinetics and Young's modulus

The application of nanomaterials in construction is a new alternative to enhance the mechanical properties of the traditional materials, e.g., cement mortars and concretes. One of the most interesting nanomaterials which still requires detailed investigation is graphene and graphene oxide. The study presented in this paper aims at assessing how 3 wt% of graphene oxide incorporated into the cement can affect the microstructure and physical-mechanical properties of the cement composite. Therefore, here we present study on early age mechanical response of the cement mortar modified with graphene oxide using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The kinetics of the hydration process was investigated by Infrared, Raman, X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The morphology of the nanocomposite was revealed by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.