The influence of graphene specific surface on material properties of MOC-based composites for construction use

Abstract In this study, the influence of the graphene specific surface area used as a dopant in magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) was researched. This composite was developed in order to form a suitable high-performance material which would act as an alternative for the commonly used Portland cement . It presents as highly eco-friendly, while maintaining great mechanical properties, which evolve due to the use of small amount of graphene nanoplatelets . Three sets of samples, which were prepared (one reference and two composite samples with graphene with different particle size/surface area) were subjected to a broad spectrum of analyses in order to study the differences in the chemical, mechanical and microstructural properties of the composites. Among the used analytical methods, the optical microscopy , scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy , X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy , Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and various mechanical, microstructural and macrostructural tests were performed. The obtained results show mainly the influence of the graphene nanoplatelets’ specific surface on the mechanical, chemical and physical properties, including large increase in the compressive and flexural strength and a significant drop of the total porosity of such material. These results might be helpful in the development of the MOC-graphene composite with improved mechanical performance and durability, and can contribute to the field of graphene-doped construction materials, which are being thoroughly studied in the past years.