Investigating the Effect of CNTs on Early Age Hydration and Autogenous Shrinkage of Cement Composite

Abstract

In this study, the effect of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the physical properties of cement composites was investigated. The mechanism of the change of autogenous shrinkage of CNTs‐reinforced cement composites was also examined. In the experiments, ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and fly ash (FA) were used as binders, and 0.0, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5% multi‐walled CNTs (MWCNTs) were added to fabricate pastes. When the hydration heat was measured through isothermal calorimetry, it was found that CNTs accelerated the early age hydration of the pastes and that the hydration rate increased as the CNT content increased. The compressive strength was the highest when the CNT content was 0.1%. As the CNT content increased, the internal relative humidity (IRH) decreased and autogenous shrinkage showed a decreasing tendency. Through the analysis of the correlation between autogenous shrinkage and IRH, it was confirmed that the reduction in autogenous shrinkage due to the addition of CNTs resulted from the decrease in bulk strain. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.