Effect of MXene (Nano-Ti3C2) on Early-Age Hydration of Cement Paste

As a new two-dimensional material, MXene (nano-Ti3C2) has been widely applied in many fields, especially for reinforced composite materials. In this paper, mechanical testing, X-ray diffraction (XRD), hydration heat, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and EDS analysis were used to analyze the impact of MXene on cement hydration properties. The obtained results revealed that (a) MXene could greatly improve the early compressive strength of cement paste with 0.04 wt% concentration, (b) the phase type of early-age hydration products has not been changed after the addition of MXene, (c) hydration exothermic rate within 72 h has small difference at different amount of MXene, and (d) morphologies of hydration products were varied with the dosage of MXene, a lot of tufted ettringites appeared in 3 d hydration products when the content of MXene was 0.04 wt%, which will have a positive effect on improving the early mechanical properties of cement paste. MXene has inhibited the Portland cement hydration process; the main role of MXene in the cement hydration process is to promote the messy ettringite becoming regular distribution at a node and form network connection structure in the crystals growth process, making the mechanics performance of cement paste significantly improved.