EFFECTS OF GRAPHENE OXIDE ON THE HYDRATION OF TRICALCIUM SILICATE

Nanomaterials have been applied for the modification of cement-based materials with a low-dosage addition in recent years. Graphene oxide (GO) has been studied in many papers for use in cement-based materials with properties of a two-dimensional sheet-like structure, its extraordinary mechanical properties, high aspect ratio and hydrophilicity. To study the effects of graphene oxide on the hydration of tricalcium silicate, the hydration heat, hydration products and micro-structure of a C₃S-GO hydration system were studied in this paper. The results showed that GO increases the hydration heat by promoting the hydration rate of C₃S, though the GO could not react with the C3S hydration products (such as the calcium hydroxide and C-S-H gel produced by the C₃S hydration). It was found that the addition of GO changes the crystallite size of the hydration products through observing the SEM image. The GO modified the morphology of the C₃S hydration products and led to a more compacter structure.