Synergistic effect of graphene-oxide-doping and microwave-curing on mechanical strength of cement

In this communication, efficient reinforcement of cement matrix was obtained by graphene-oxide (GO) doping and curing treatments. The compressive strength of plain cement is 14.3±0.2 MPa. When the cement contained 0.5 wt% GO, its strength reached 19.4±0.9 MPa. The strength can be further enhanced by curing, which follows the sequence: Microwave-cured GO-cement > Microwave and water-cured GO-cement > Water-cured GO-cement > GO-cement without curing. The highest compressive strength (32.4±0.7 MPa), which was achieved by combining GO-doping and microwave curing, is 126.6±8.1% higher than that without GO-doping and microwave curing. This demonstrates a synergistic effect of GO doping and microwave-curing on the strength of cement composite materials. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) characterizations revealed that the combination of GO doping and microwave-curing remarkably accelerated cement hydration, leading to the regular and compact structure and thus a high compressive strength. This work provides a new way to improve the mechanical properties of cement composites.