Effects of graphene oxide on mechanical properties and microstructure of ultra-high-performance lightweight concrete

Abstract

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has attracted much attention in civil engineering. However, the high deadweight of UHPC limits its application. To reduce the density of UHPC, this study developed an ultra-high-performance lightweight concrete (UHPLC) by combining the use of shale ceramic sand and nano-materials, according to the modified Andreasen and Andersen (MAA) model. Taking advantage of nanotechnology, graphene oxide (GO) was utilized to improve the mechanical performance of UHPLC, and the effects of GO on the workability, mechanical properties, and microstructure of UHPLC were systematically investigated. It was found that: 1) UHPLC with an apparent density of 2022 ∼ 2114 kg/m³ was prepared according to the MAA model; 2) Owing to the addition of GO, the flexural strength, compressive strength, and elastic modulus of UHPLC increased by 6.3 ∼ 22.4%, 7.6 ∼ 16.7%, and 4.1 ∼ 13.0%, respectively; 3) Considering the effects of GO on the mechanical properties and microstructure of UHPLC, the optimal content of GO was 0.06%.

Keywords:

• graphene oxide
• lightweight ultra-high-performance concrete
• mechanical performance
• microstructure
• porosity
• nanoindentation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The research is finically supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, China (No. 51808294), and the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, China (No. 51925903), which are gratefully acknowledged.

Notes on contributors

Hongyan Chu

Hongyan Chu: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Validation, Visualization, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing. Jianjian Qin: Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing - original draft. Li Gao: Methodology, Investigation, Validation, Resources, Supervision. Jinyang Jiang: Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Funding acquisition, Visualization. Fengjuan Wang: Data curation, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Visualization, Project administration. Danqian Wang: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Visualization, Writing - review & editing.