A review on the chemical, mechanical and microstructural characterization of carbon nanotubes-cement based composites

摘要

It is known that carbon nanotubes (CNT's) modify the properties of cement based composites in fresh and hardened state; it is also known that these modifications are positive when appropriate dispersion of CNT's within the matrix is achieved. Traditional experimental approaches used for fiber reinforced composites have been widely applied to study CNT's-cement composites; nevertheless, high statistical dispersions and conflicting reports have been found to be a common issue due to the nanometric nature of CNT's. This review presents a critical analysis of the most commonly used techniques to test CNT's-cement composites, opening the discussion of the necessity of specific testing standardization for the development of the technology. Topics such as CNT's dispersion and measurement of mechanical performance, electromagnetic properties and durability of CNT's-cement composites are addressed.