Experimental Study of Graphene Oxide on Hydration Process of Tricalcium Silicate

The effects of graphene oxide (GO) with different contents on hydration process of tricalcium silicate (C3S) were investigated in this article. The scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, nitrogen desorption, nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy were used to analyze the micro-evolution of the GO/C3S hardened pastes, and the compressive strength of the GO/C3S was tested. The findings revealed that the addition of the GO increased the compressive strength of the GO/C3S because the GO can provide a large number of nucleation sites for hydration products, thereby accelerating the C3S hydration process. The GO also reduced the total pore volume of the C3S, leading to an increase in the proportion of gel pores and refinement in pore structure. Furthermore, the abundant oxygen-containing functional groups present on the GO surface can form hydrogen bonds with free water or interlayer water, thereby increasing the number of hydrogen bonds in the system.