Monitoring chloride ion penetration in concrete structure based on the conductivity of graphene/cement composite

A non-destructive method of monitoring chloride ion penetration in concrete structure has been investigated by means of the conductivity of graphene/cement composite. The conductivities of cement paste and graphene/cement composite by incorporation of various chloride ion contents have been determined by EIS measurement at different RH values. Meanwhile, the micro-morphology and phase composition have been detected by SEM and XRD techniques, respectively. Besides, the chloride ion penetration in mortar paste has been monitored through embedded graphene/cement composite. Results revealed that the conductivity of graphene/cement composite increased with the increase of chloride ion content regardless of RH value because the electrical current passed through the networks formed due to contacts between graphene particles and generated by connected pore solution. Moreover, the real-time monitoring of chloride ion penetration in mortar paste can be achieved through measurement of the conductivity of embedded graphene/cement composite. In a word, graphene/cement composite provided a possibility of monitoring chloride ion erosion in concrete structure. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.