Very ductile polymer concrete using carbon nanotubes

•PC with hybrid mix of MWCNTs outperforms single type MWCNTs in tensile properties.•MWCNTs impact its host matrix through chemical and fiber mechanisms simultaneously.•New ductile PC is an attractive structural material where high strains govern design. Polymer concrete (PC) is a type of concrete wh...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Construction & building materials 2019-01, Vol.196, p.468-477
Main Authors: Douba, AlaEddin, Emiroglu, Mehmet, Kandil, Usama F., Reda Taha, Mahmoud M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
A. Mixture Proportioning
Analysis
B. Carbon Nanotubes
C. Tensile Properties
D. Polymers
E. Concrete
Engineers
Epoxy resins
Mechanical properties
Nanotubes
Personal computers
Polymer concrete
Polymer industry
Polymers
Strength (Materials)
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Summary:•PC with hybrid mix of MWCNTs outperforms single type MWCNTs in tensile properties.•MWCNTs impact its host matrix through chemical and fiber mechanisms simultaneously.•New ductile PC is an attractive structural material where high strains govern design. Polymer concrete (PC) is a type of concrete where a polymer is used to replace cement as the binder. PC is an impermeable and chemical resistant concrete with appreciable mechanical properties. However, for most structural engineers, PC advantages do not outweigh its higher cost when compared with normal cement concrete. We report on the production of very ductile PC (measured by tensile strain at failure) with appreciable tensile strength utilizing a hybrid mixture of pristine and carboxyl (COOH) functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) at 2.0 wt% of epoxy resin. Experimental investigations reveal that COOH functionalization maximizes PC ductility reaching unprecedented 5.5% failure strains and increasing toughness by 184%. Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy and dynamic modulus analysis indicate an increase in crosslinking density of the epoxy matrix up to 84% due to the carbonyl band formation induced by the COOH functionalization of MWCNTs. The significant improvement in ductility and energy absorption provides a promising platform for creating very ductile PC with attractive properties.
ISSN:0950-0618
1879-0526
DOI:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.11.021