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Very ductile polymer concrete using carbon nanotubes

2019    Douba, AlaEddin; Emiroglu, Mehmet; Kandil, Usama F.; Taha, Mahmoud M. Reda

Polymer concrete (PC) is a type of concrete where a polymer is used to replace cement as the binder. PC is an impermeable and chemical resistant concrete with appreciable mechanical properties. However, for most structural engineers, PC advantages do not outweigh its higher cost when compared with normal cement concrete. We report on the production of very ductile PC (measured by tensile strain at failure) with appreciable tensile strength utilizing a hybrid mixture of pristine and carboxyl (COOH) functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) at 2.0 wt% of epoxy resin. Experimental investigations reveal that COOH functionalization maximizes PC ductility reaching unprecedented 5.5% failure strains and increasing toughness by 184%. Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy and dynamic modulus analysis indicate an increase in crosslinking density of the epoxy matrix up to 84% due to the carbonyl band formation induced by the COOH functionalization of MWCNTs. The significant improvement in ductility and energy absorption provides a promising platform for creating very ductile PC with attractive properties. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.