Since their discovery in 1991 by Iijima [1], carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have probably become the most promising nanomaterials due to their unique mechanical, electronic and chemical properties. Our aim is to improve the mechanical properties of cement pastes by the addition of CNTs, giving rise to a new and higher-performance composite material. To reach an efficient cement-based composite with nanotubes, we have studied the addition of different CNT concentrations in the mix design in order to obtain enhanced mechanical properties with respect to plain cement pastes. We have measured the micro-hardness and Young's modulus of the composites by nanoindenting with a sharp diamond three-sided pyramidal tip mounted on an Atomic Force Microscope probe. These measurements have been correlated with the average macroscopic Young's modulus.

Cement-based materials are ubiquitous in almost all built environment. In spite of this, little is known about the formation and the role played by the silicate chains always present in the cement nanostructure. By means of first principles simulations we provide compelling evidence on the pivotal role played by certain ionic species in the formation of the silicate chains inside the cementitious matrix. Moreover, we corroborate the experimental evidence which shows that the length of the most stable chains with m Si atoms follows a magic-number sequence: m =3n − 1 with n =1,2,... Our results have been applied in the development of new higher performance cement-based materials by adding nanosilica.

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