Rheological behavior of fresh cement pastes with a graphene oxide additive

The rheological properties and morphology of fresh cement pastes with different contents of graphene oxide (GO) were investigated by a rheometer and a laser confocal scanning microscope, respectively. The rheological data were fitted by the Modified-Bingham (M-B) model and Herschel-Bulkley (H-B) model. A mechanism for the effect of GO on the rheological properties is proposed. Results show that the cement particles are re-agglomerated and new flocculation structures are generated by the addition of GO. The new flocculation structures significantly alter the rheological properties of the pastes. The degree of re-agglomeration and the number of new flocculation structures increase with increasing GO content, leading to a sharp increase in the yield stress, plastic viscosity and the area of the hysteresis loop. GO can effectively reduce the degree of shear-thickening, and increase the critical shear rate and the stability of the pastes.