Investigation of Corrosion Protection Through CNTs/ CNFs Modified Cement Mortars

Background: the performance of nano modified cement based materials is substantial in terms of their mechanical durability and other similar properties that are of great importance in the functional life of cement structures. The motivation of this study is to formulate conclusions concerning the anti-corrosive impact of Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) on the properties of mortar specimens and respectively on their service life. Methods: The nano additives performance, was investigated through Scanning methods, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) which analyze the microstructure of mortar specimens with 0.1 % wt addition of CNTs and 0.1 % wt addition of CNFs in their synthesis. In addition, other techniques such as total chloride content and gravimetric mass loss measurements, provide a consolidated assessment of the impact of the nano modified cement materials. In particular, (SEM) and (XRD) microstructure analysis results showed that nanoadditives are found as agglomerates in the cement paste, whereas their hydrophobic nature blocks the diffusion of corrosive factors into the cement paste. Additionally, the total chloride content in mortar specimens with CNFs is approximately 50% less than the relevant percentage of the specimens without additives, which is in compliance with the relevant percentages of porosity values. Furthermore, from the elemental analysis of all specimens, it is found that the samples that are corroded are the specimens without nano additives. Results: The addition of nanomodified materials affects the porosity and the microstructure of the mortar specimens. Conclusion: The addition of 0,1 % of CNTs or CNFs positively affects against corrosion impact while exposure in extremely corrosive conditions.