Papers by Author: Jin Tao Liu

Abstract: Advancement in the study of carbon nanotube has enabled its application in civil engineering as constitutive materials or additives. In this study, the availability of applying multi-walled carbon nanotube to improve the characteristics of cement composites was investigated with experiments on more than 30 specimens. The multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were effectively dispersed in the water with surfactant, which can keep stable for over 3 months. Specimens with MWCNTs of 0.025%, 0.05% and 0.1% of cement (by weight) were tested with a loading machine and then analyzed with a SEM. It was found that the compressive strength of the samples increased with the increasing MWCNTs, it can improve the 7-day compressive strength by 22% . Microscopic analysis (SEM) revealed that carbon nanotubes were surrounded with hydration products. The bridging and debonding of carbon nanotubes in cement pastes was observed as well.