Application of nanomaterials to enhance microstructure and mechanical properties of concrete

Abstract

The advances of sustainable construction and the green building movement of the past decade have encouraged comprehensive assessment of building materials and construction practices worldwide. With superior fire resistance, strength, and a long service life, concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. Considering the amount of concrete required for various construction works, enhancing sustainability to concrete, both in terms of concrete production and mix design would be a highly desirable prospect. Lately, nanotechnology is a promising field in terms of environmental improvements including energy savings and reduced reliance on non-renewable resources, as well as reduced waste, toxicity and carbon emissions. Nanotechnology allows enhancement of available concrete products by using nano-materials; these nano-materials could be in the form of nano-particles, nano-chemical additives, and nano-fibers in cement-based materials matrix. The usage of nanomaterials results in production of concrete with lower volume of cement. The influence of addition of various nano particles such as nano silica, nano Al2O3, nano TiO2, nano Fe2O3, nano clays, and highly dispersed carbon nano tubes in concrete is thoroughly investigated in present work with an initiative towards 'Green Concrete' incorporating these waste materials as one of its ingredients.

Characteristics of CO2 and Energy-Saving Concrete with Porous Feldspar

“…The unit weight decreased as the particle size of the feldspar decreased. The unit weight for the particle size of 20 µm was 1.06 g/cm 3 , which was approximately 31% lower than that for 500 µm. As for the compressive strength according to the particle size, the lowest strength was observed for the largest particle size of 200 µm.…”

“…In South Korea, the energy target management system and the emissions trading scheme were introduced based on the 21st United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and efforts are being made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions [ 2 ]. Therefore, a method for reducing the use of cement, which emits 700 kg of carbon dioxide per ton, is required [ 3 ]. In construction, fly ash, which is the residue of the thermal power generation process, is used as a substitute for cement.…”

A review of the effect and optimization of use of nano-TiO2 in cementitious composites

“…Moreover, cement industry is one of the main contributors to industrial CO2 emissions. It is responsible for 5% to 8% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. One method to overcome these problems is by the incorporation of nanomaterials into cement-based materials.…”

Effect of Hydrogen Nanobubbles on the Mechanical Strength and Watertightness of Cement Mixtures

“…The construction industry consumes large quantities of fossil fuels and accelerates environmental pollution and global warming by continuously emitting carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) [ 1 ]. About 700–900 kg of CO 2 are generated when one ton of cement is produced, and the demand and production of cement are expected to increase continuously, owing to continuous infrastructure development [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. CO 2 has been recognized as a major cause of global warming, as has the abnormal climate caused by the greenhouse effect because it accounts for the largest proportion of greenhouse gases [ 5 , 6 ].…”