Mechanical performance enhancement of UHPC via ITZ improvement using graphene oxide-coated steel fibers

IF 10.8 1区工程技术 Q1 CONSTRUCTION & BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

Cement & concrete composites Pub Date : 2025-01-08 DOI:10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2025.105931

Yuan Gao , Zhangjianing Cheng , Jiajian Yu , Xiaonong Guo , Yanming Liu , Weiqiang Chen

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Abstract

By virtue of its superior strength, high toughness, and low porosity, ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has a wide range of application prospects in construction engineering. However, the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) formed between the cementitious matrix and steel fiber seriously restricts the steel fiber's strength utilization rate in UHPC. Hence, in this work, graphene oxide (GO) is employed to be coated on the steel fiber surface to strengthen the UHPC. The results demonstrate that through a three-step GO coating approach, the roughness and hydrophilicity of the steel fiber surface can be enhanced by about 280.6 % and 40.6 % compared with plain steel fiber. The coated GO can provide pore-infilling and nucleation effects during the hydration processes of the UHPC, thus decreasing the porosity by 37.5 % compared with non-GO reinforcement. After the three-step coating treatment, the compressive and bending strength of the coated-GO reinforced UHPC is enhanced by 33.7 % and 26.2 %, respectively. The molecular dynamic simulation results further reveal that benefiting from the crack-bridging effects of the coated GO, the interface between the steel fiber surface and cement matrix is prone to a ductile failure, with the failure energy of the C-S-H composites increasing by about 320%–1340 %. The findings advanced by this work can enhance the understanding of nano-cement technology and promote the potential application of the GO-coated fiber to generate high-performance UHPC.

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利用氧化石墨烯包覆钢纤维改善超高性能聚乙烯的机械性能

超高性能混凝土（UHPC）凭借其优越的强度、高韧性、低孔隙率等特点，在建筑工程中有着广泛的应用前景。然而，胶凝基质与钢纤维之间形成的界面过渡区（ITZ）严重制约了钢纤维在UHPC中的强度利用率。因此，在本研究中，采用氧化石墨烯（GO）涂层在钢纤维表面来增强UHPC。结果表明，通过三步氧化石墨烯涂层方法，钢纤维表面的粗糙度和亲水性分别比普通钢纤维提高约280.6%和40.6%。在UHPC水化过程中，包覆氧化石墨烯具有充孔和成核作用，孔隙率比未包覆氧化石墨烯降低了37.5%。经过三步包覆处理后，包覆氧化石墨烯增强UHPC的抗压强度和抗弯强度分别提高了33.7%和26.2%。分子动力学模拟结果进一步表明，得益于包覆氧化石墨烯的裂缝桥接作用，钢纤维表面与水泥基体之间的界面容易发生延性破坏，C-S-H复合材料的破坏能提高约320% ~ 1340%。本文的研究结果可以增强人们对纳米水泥技术的认识，促进氧化石墨烯包覆纤维在高性能UHPC中的潜在应用。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Cement & concrete composites 工程技术-材料科学：复合

CiteScore

18.70

自引率

11.40%

发文量

459

审稿时长

65 days

期刊介绍： Cement & concrete composites focuses on advancements in cement-concrete composite technology and the production, use, and performance of cement-based construction materials. It covers a wide range of materials, including fiber-reinforced composites, polymer composites, ferrocement, and those incorporating special aggregates or waste materials. Major themes include microstructure, material properties, testing, durability, mechanics, modeling, design, fabrication, and practical applications. The journal welcomes papers on structural behavior, field studies, repair and maintenance, serviceability, and sustainability. It aims to enhance understanding, provide a platform for unconventional materials, promote low-cost energy-saving materials, and bridge the gap between materials science, engineering, and construction. Special issues on emerging topics are also published to encourage collaboration between materials scientists, engineers, designers, and fabricators.