Effect of silicon carbide nanowhiskers on hydration and mechanical properties of a Portland cement paste

This paper investigates the effect of silicon carbide nanowhiskers (SiC NWS) on cement pastes. SiC NWS were used at 0.25-1.50 wt%, significant increases in the compressive and flexural strength were observed (up to 25% and 75%, respectively). However, an optimum effect plateau seems to be reached at content of 0.25-1.00 wt% for compressive and flexural strength, respectively. The microstructural observations also show the ability of the SiC NWS to act as bridges across the matrix cracks. It was concluded that the enhancements observed are mainly due to the SiC NWS (wt%) and the dispersion has a lesser effect.