Influence and Dispersion of Nanofiber of Wood Modified on Properties of Cement Based Mortars

Wood nanofibers from industrial waste have been used as polymeric material to reinforce the cement paste to a content of up to 2% by weight of cement. The effect of the wood nanofibre content on the porosity, the compressive strength and the degree of hydration of the cement was studied. The results showed an improvement in compressive strength of over 50% with 1% of added fiberwood. Chemical modification of nanofiber wood by grafting alkyl chains to their surface can reduce the amount of water absorbed by the sample. Addition of an anionic additive (SDBS) to the mixing water improves the surface of the samples more and more by minimizing the pore size by emulsion effect, hence the water absorption decreases. The degree of hydration of the cement increased with the cellulose content containing nanofibrils. The analysis revealed that the presence of nanofibers favored the hydration of the cement by producing more calcium silicate gel and portlandite, probably the main reason for this improvement in compressive strength.