Enhanced transport properties of graphene oxide based cement composite material

This study is aimed to evaluate the transport properties of a cement composite incorporated with graphene oxide (GO). GO is a 2-di mensional nano material, enriched with reactive oxygen functional groups which made it as a suitable reactive material with cementitious materials. The GO-cement composite was prepared by adding GO in four different proportions such as 0.01 %, 0.02%, 0.03%, and 0.04% by weight of cement. In the durability aspect water absorption, water sorp tivity, resistance to acid attack, mechanical properties, thermal analysis, chloride migration coefficient, and chloride penetrati on depth were examined experimentally for GO-cement composite specimens and compared with plane cement composite specimens. Experimental results indicated that 14.5%, 30%, and 40.47% degradation in water absorption capacity, chlo ride migration coefficient, and chloride penetration depth of cement composit e specimens with 0.03% addition of graphene oxide than normal cement composite specimens at 28 days of curing. Additionally, significant decrement in the sorptivity coefficient of cement composite was also achieved at 0.03% of GO addition. Mechanical properties were enhanced by 77.70% in flexural strength at 0.03% of GO addition and 47.61% in compressive strength at 0.04% of GO additi on in cement composite at 28 days of curing. SEM anal ysis of the test samples exhibited the pore fill ed struc ture of the cement composites with GO addition. In addition, all GO-cement composite specimens exhibited greater resistance to an acidic environment and negligible loss in strength and weight was observed than normal cement composite specimens at 28 days immersion in 2% and 5% concentrations of both H 2SO 4 and HCl acidic solutions. Thermal resistance was increased in the terms of compressive strength in all GO-cement composite mixes gradually by increasing the concentration of GO content from 0.01% to 0.04% by weight of ce ment. It can be concluded that an effective improvement in transport properties of cement composite was achieved by the in corporation of graphene oxide nano material.

Automated summary

This study aimed to evaluate the transport properties of a cement composite incorporated with graphene oxide (GO). The experimental results demonstrated that the addition of GO could significantly decrease water absorption, chloride migration coefficient, and chloride penetration depth in the cement composite specimens, while improving mechanical properties such as flexural strength and compressive strength. SEM analysis also showed that GO-cement composite specimens had a pore-filled structure. Overall, the incorporation of graphene oxide nano material effectively improved the transport properties of the cement composite.