Frontier Research in Nano Reinforced Cement and Concrete Composites

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 6455

Special Issue Editor

CERIS, Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Área Departamental de Engenharia Civil, Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: self-compacting concrete; concrete microstructure and durability; sustainable construction (recycled aggregates in concrete and mortars); construction technology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At present, the use of nanomaterials (NM) to improve the performance of cement and concrete matrixes appears as a potential alternative to the exclusive use of Portland cement (PC). Similarly, there is currently no doubt in the construction industry (CI) about the pressing need to reduce the consumption of PC. The CI represents the world’s third-largest industrial energy consumer, and the component related to the production of PC alone represents 7% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions globally. PC is undoubtedly the most used material in construction in terms of its relative volume. Raw materials for PC production are generally plentiful and available throughout the world. In this sense, it is imperative that the cement industry obtain viable technical solutions that allow the reduction of PC consumption. That reduction can be achieved either by its direct replacement with another material (as for example, with the use of fly ash), or by improving cement and concrete matrix performance with the addition of new materials, such as NM. This second option is quite interesting since it allows, for example, maintaining the cement and concrete matrix properties/characteristics, reducing PC consumption by adding a tiny amount of NM.

The NM evolution has allowed the production of new cement-based nanocomposites with previously unimaginable properties. In general, NM can be grouped into three main types: zero-dimensional (0D) nanoparticles, such as nanosilica; one-dimensional (1D) nanofibers, such as carbon nanotubes; and lastly, the most recent two-dimensional (2D) nanosheet, i.e., graphene oxide (GO). These materials, especially 1D and 2D NM, have the ability to, in very small dosages, strengthen the cement and concrete matrix through reinforcement and pore refinement. This allows for conventional cement composites to achieve higher performance levels or to maintain the same performance levels with decreasing PC consumption.

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore the potential of use of nanomaterials in the production of mortar and concrete composites and to discuss new opportunities in this field.

Prof. Dr. Pedro Raposeiro da Silva
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • sustainable construction
  • nanomaterials
  • cement-based nanocomposites
  • concrete-based nanocomposites
  • nanosilica
  • nanofibers
  • graphene oxide
  • Portland cement
  • concrete durability
  • life cycle assessment
  • life cycle costs
  • case studies

Published Papers (3 papers)

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18 pages, 3275 KiB  
Article
Binary Mixes of Self-Compacting Concrete with Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator Bottom Ash
by Joel R. Simões, Pedro R. da Silva and Rui V. Silva
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(14), 6396; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11146396 - 11 Jul 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1597
Abstract
With the objective of establishing a viable alternative to the use of cement, the main objective of this study is to verify the possibility of using municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash (MIBA) as a partial cement replacement, thereby reducing the environmental impact [...] Read more.
With the objective of establishing a viable alternative to the use of cement, the main objective of this study is to verify the possibility of using municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash (MIBA) as a partial cement replacement, thereby reducing the environmental impact associated with the use of concrete as a building material. To this end, self-compacting concrete (SCC) binary mixes of cement and MIBA were evaluated in their fresh and hardened state (i.e., self-compactability, mechanical and durability related performance). Four SCC mixes were produced to cover a wide range of replacement levels of cement with MIBA, namely: 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%. A fifth SCC mix, without MIBA, was produced with 30% fly ash to carry out a comparative analysis with composites with well-established performance. The results showed that the use of bottom ash from municipal solid waste incinerators caused an overall decline in the performance of self-compacting concrete. Apart from the smaller number of reactive phases in the bottom ash when compared with fly ash, which led to a slower rate of strength development, the decline was also caused by the increased porosity from the oxidation of aluminium particles. Nevertheless, the results showed promising indicators regarding the durability of mixes with 20% MIBA, with values very similar to those of reference concrete. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontier Research in Nano Reinforced Cement and Concrete Composites)
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23 pages, 9834 KiB  
Article
Mechanical and Durability Properties of Mortars Incorporating Red Mud, Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag, and Electric Arc Furnace Dust
by Javad Sabzi, Elyas Asadi Shamsabadi, Mansour Ghalehnovi, S. Ali Hadigheh, Ali Khodabakhshian and Jorge de Brito
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4110; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11094110 - 30 Apr 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2260
Abstract
This research studies the properties of mortars incorporating waste materials including red mud (RM), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), and electric arc furnace dust (EAFD). Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) was partially replaced with equal contents of RM, GGBFS, and EAFD at different [...] Read more.
This research studies the properties of mortars incorporating waste materials including red mud (RM), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), and electric arc furnace dust (EAFD). Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) was partially replaced with equal contents of RM, GGBFS, and EAFD at different ratios by weight (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, and 50%). Slump, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, electrical resistivity, water absorption, resistance to freeze–thaw cycles, and durability under sodium sulphate and sulphuric acid attacks were investigated. Moreover, the microstructure of mortars cured in tap water and exposed to sulphuric acid was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX). Cement replacement up to 20% led to a slight increase in compressive strength at 7, 28, and 120 days, while the results of durability tests showed that only up to 10% cement substitution could improve the durability of the mortar. A microstructural analysis showed that small waste grain portions in the matrix improved the whole mix density and the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between aggregates and paste. The results of this study showed that there is an optimum replacement ratio of about 10%, beyond which the incorporation of these waste powders can cause degradation of concrete properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontier Research in Nano Reinforced Cement and Concrete Composites)
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17 pages, 4873 KiB  
Article
Ternary Mixes of Self-Compacting Concrete with Fly Ash and Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator Bottom Ash
by B. Simões, P. R. da Silva, R. V. Silva, Y. Avila and J. A. Forero
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(1), 107; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11010107 - 24 Dec 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1754
Abstract
This study aims to evaluate the potential of incorporating fly ash (FA) and municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash (MIBA) as a partial substitute of cement in the production of self-compacting concrete mixes through an experimental campaign in which four replacement levels (i.e., [...] Read more.
This study aims to evaluate the potential of incorporating fly ash (FA) and municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash (MIBA) as a partial substitute of cement in the production of self-compacting concrete mixes through an experimental campaign in which four replacement levels (i.e., 10% FA + 20% MIBA, 20% FA + 10% MIBA, 20% FA + 40% MIBA and 40% FA + 20% MIBA, apart from the reference concrete) were considered. Compressive and tensile strengths, Young’s modulus, ultra-sonic pulse velocity, shrinkage, water absorption by immersion, chloride diffusion coefficient and electrical resistivity were evaluated for all concrete mixes. The results showed a considerable decline in both mechanical and durability-related performances of self-compacting concrete with 60% of substitution by MIBA mainly due to the aluminium corrosion chemical reaction. However, workability properties were not significantly affected, exhibiting values similar to those of the control mix. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontier Research in Nano Reinforced Cement and Concrete Composites)
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