These Slides of our Paper entitled 'Issues affecting the applicability of nanomaterials in cement construction' were presented in the regular session on 'Concrete' at an International Seminar on 'Advances on Concrete,Structural & Geotechnical Engineering(ACSGE-2018) organised by BITS-Pilani from 26th-28th February,2018 at the NAB Auditorium of Pilani,Rajasthan campus.

1. Mainak Ghosal – Ph.D Research Scholar
&
Prof.Arun Kr. Chakraborty
Dep’t of Civil Engineering,IIEST,Shibpur,India.
(Formerly Bengal Engineering & Science University)

3. • Combustion of fossil fuels causes severe
air pollution & global warming.
• Nanotechnology has the potential to mitigate the
air pollution & global warming.

4. Bird's Eye View
Why
nanotechnology
in building and
construction?
Technical barriers
OPPORTUNITIES
EXPERIMENTAL
RESULTS
With Emerging
Nanomaterials in
IIESTS Lab

5. NEED FOR ADV. MATERIALS ?
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTIONS

6.  Electronic Materials
 Bio Materials
 Nano Materials - the 21st Century Challenge

7.  Deterioration of the nation’s
infrastructure:
 Cost in INFRASTRUCTURE[along
with FAILURES] is estimated to exceed
$1.5 trillion .
 Recent Building Collapses-Housing is
plagued with POOR MATERIAL
QUALITY that have led to
premature failures.
 Nanotechnology offers
tremendous potential for
improving building materials

8. “The Construction Industry was the only
industry to identify Nanotechnology as a
promising emerging technology in the
UK Delphi Survey in the early 1990s…
However, Construction has lagged
behind other industrial sectors, such as
automotive, chemicals, electronics and
biotech sectors, ……”
“Application of Nanotechnology in Construction”, Materials and
Structures, 37, 649 (2004).

9. Nanomaterials were presumed to be
ineffective for future use as reported in some
Literatures….
AARTICLE

10. •Strong industry interest.
•Lack of measurement science capability.
•US,Germany,Japan,Korea,Switzerland -
Nanotechnology.
•Measurement science research should
facilitate Indian industry to innovate &
respond to global conditions & new
environmental regulations.
Nanomaterials in Construction

11. Size DECREASES 
Mechanical Properties & Durability INCREASES

12. Materials at the
Nanoscale
brings
different laws
of Physics into
play

13. n-TiO2
CO2

14.  Improves the materials’ bulk properties
 To obtain thinner final elements(more Floor Space)
,quicker setting time & less shrinkage
 Doubles the Service Life
 Allows for Crack-Bridging
 Lowered levels of environmental contamination.
, *Ghosal M, Chakraborty,‘‘Influence of Nano-Additions on Geopolymer & Concrete’, International Journal of
Engineering & Scientific Research, Volume 3, Issue 7, pp.80-91,July 2015

15. HOW
NANO-TECHNOLOGY
AFFECTS/EFFECTS
CEMENT CONCRETE
BEHAVIOUR
???
1.FRESH PROPERTIES
2.HARDENED PROPERTIES

16. Normal
Cement
Concrete
Nano-
Cement
Concrete
WORKABILITY
‘Nanomaterials & Nanotechnology for High Performance Cement Composites’, Konstantin Sobolev, Ismael Flores, Roman Hermosillo, Leticia M. Torres-Martínez , Proceedings of ACI
Session on “Nanotechnology of Concrete: Recent Developments and Future Perspectives”November 7, 2006, Denver, USA,PP 91-118.

17. NORMAL CEMENT
CONCRETE
NANO CEMENT
CONCRETE
Nanomaterials & Nanotechnology for High Performance Cement Composites’, Konstantin Sobolev, Ismael Flores, Roman Hermosillo, Leticia M. Torres-Martínez , Proceedings of ACI Session
on “Nanotechnology of Concrete: Recent Developments and Future Perspectives”November 7, 2006, Denver, USA,PP 91-118.

18. HOW
NANO-TECHNOLOGY
AFFECTS/EFFECTS
CEMENT CONCRETE
BEHAVIOUR
???
1.FRESH PROPERTIES
2.HARDENED PROPERTIES

19. NORMAL CEMENT
CONCRETE BEHAVIOUR
NANO CEMENT
CONCRETE BEHAVIOUR
‘Improvement of Concrete Durability by Nanomaterials’A Nasution, I Imran, M Abdullah -
Procedia Engineering, 2015 – Elsevier,Vol 125,PP 608-612

20. NORMAL CEMENT
CONCRETE BEHAVIOUR
NANO CEMENT
CONCRETE BEHAVIOUR
Yen Lei Voo & Stephen J. Foster (2010) Characteristics of ultra-high performance ‘ductile’ concrete and its impact on sustainable construction,
The IES Journal Part A: Civil & Structural Engineering, 3:3, 168-187, DOI: 10.1080/19373260.2010.492588

24. “Jubilee Church” in Rome

26. Conventional
Glass
Self-Cleaning
Glass
Nano-Coatings on Brick
SMOG EATING PAINT

27. How Nano Materials Work
???
CNTs exist in Entangled Mass like form
-- like COTTON FIBRES
Dispersion Agent(Poly Carboxylate
Ether(PCE)  ACTIVATE Nucleation

28.  Nano Silica --> first
nano-product that
replaced micro-silica
 n-TiO2 has a wide
range of applications
from paint,suncreen
to food coloring
 Carbon Nano Tubes –
“Top ten advances
in materials science”
over the last 50
years, Materials
Today,
2008(l/d=13,20,00,000)
*Ghosal M, Chakraborty,‘A Comparative Study of Nano Embedments on Different Types of Cements,’ International Journal of
Advances in Engineering & Technology, Volume 8, Issue 2, pp.92-103,April 2015

29. CNTs Description
Diameter 20-40nm
Length 25-45nm
Purity 80-85%(a/c Raman Spectrometer
& SEM analysis)
Amorphous
Carbon
5-8%
Residue(Calci
nation in Air)
5-6% by Wt.
Average
interlayer
distance
0.34nm
Specific
surface area
90-220 m2/g
Bulk density 0.07-0.32gm/cc
Real density 1-8 gm/cc
Volume
Resistivity
0.1-0.15 ohm.cm(measured at
pressure in powder)
Nano Titanium
Oxide %
97
Rutile content
%
98
pH 7
Avg. Particle
Size
30-40nm
Treatment Nil
Moisture % 1.75-2
Bulk density 0.30.31gm/cc
Water
Solubility
In-soluble
*Ghosal M, Chakraborty, ‘A Study On Applicability
Aspects Of Nano Materials In Cement-
Construction’, International Journal of Research in
Engineering and Technology, 2016, DOI:
10.15623/ijret.2016.0532027, pp 179-187

30.  Compressive Strength
 Tensile Strength
 Flexural Strength
 Durability
 Compatibility

31. SO4
-2
SO4
-2
SO4
-2
SO4
-2
Cl-
Cl-
Cl-
Cl-
Cl- Cl-

32. Structures affected by Chloride (due to Cl-) attack in
coastal areas

34. Materials
GeoPolymers
& Cement-
OPC,PPC
Water
Drinking/Tap
water
Chemical
Admixture
Superpasticizer
( Poly Carboxylate Ether)
&
*n-SILICA,CNT,n-TiO2
Fine /Coarse
Aggregate
Natural River
Sand/20 &10mm

36. TEST-PROCEDURES

37. Compressive
Strength of
Composite
Cement Mortar
at 7, 28,90,180 &
365 days in
TESTING M/C
as per IS: 4031 .
(I) Mechanical
Testing
& Compatibility
of nS/CNT/n-
TiO2 in
OPC/PPC

39. *Ghosal M, Chakraborty, ‘Short Term V/s Long Term Optimizations of Nano-Additions on Ordinary Portland
Cement’, European Journal of Advances in Engineering & Technology, Volume 3, Issue 7, pp.71-77, 2016

40. % Nano
additions in
OPC
7 Days
Strength
(% incr.)
28 Days
Strength
(% incr.)
90 Days
Strength
(% incr.)
180 Days
Strength
(% incr.)
365 Days
Strength
(% incr.)
0% nS
21.08 MPa
(--)
31.89MPa
(--)
31.20MPa
(--)
30.01MPa
(--)
30.01MPa
(---)
0.5% nS
23.85MPa
(13.14%)
35.1MPa
(11.35%)
41.30MPa
(32.37%)
27.47MPa
(-9.24%)
26.76MPa
(-4.29%)
0.75% nS
27.73MPa
(31.54%)
42.27MPa
(32.55%)
49.85MPa
(59.78%)
32.52MPa
(8.36%)
31.5MPa
(4.96%)
1.0% nS
25.07MPa
(18.93%)
37.36MPa
(17.15%)
42.98MPa
(37.76%)
33.68MPa
(12.23%)
32.41MPa
(8.0%)
1.25% nS
23.17MPa
(9.91%)
30.85MPa
(-3.26%)
39.45MPa
(26.44%)
35.24MPa
(17.43%)
31.3MPa
(4.29%)
1.50% nS 23.81MPa
(12.95%)
37.79MPa
(18.50%)
33.42MPa
(7.12%)
31.23MPa
(4.07%)
29.12MPa
(-2.96%)

41. % Nano
additions in
PPC
7 Days
Strength
(% incr.)
28 Days
Strength
(% incr.)
90 Days
Strength
(% incr.)
180 Days
Strength
(% incr.)
365 Days
Strength
(% incr.)
0% nS
11.36 MPa
(--)
22.44 MPa
(--)
25.96 MPa
(--)
27.08 MPa
(--)
23.52MPa
(---)
0.5% nS
8.93MPa
(-21.39%)
27.16 MPa
(21.03%)
22.45 MPa
(-13.52%)
26.11MPa
(-3.58%)
21.26MPa
(9.61%)
0.75% nS
23.66MPa
(108.27%)
27.45 MPa
(22.32%)
33.17 MPa
(27.77%)
27.0 MPa
(-0.30%)
35.54MPa
(51.11%)
1.0% nS
25.07MPa
(18.93%)
37.36MPa
(17.15%)
42.98MPa
(37.76%)
33.68MPa
(12.23%)
32.41MPa
(8.0%)
1.25% nS
23.17MPa
(9.91%)
30.85MPa
(-3.26%)
39.45MPa
(26.44%)
35.24MPa
(17.43%)
31.3MPa
(4.29%)
1.50% nS 23.81MPa
(12.95%)
37.79MPa
(18.50%)
33.42MPa
(7.12%)
31.23MPa
(4.07%)
29.12MPa
(-2.96%)

42. % Nano
additions in
OPC
7 Days
Compressive
Strength
(% incr.)
28 Days
Compressive
Strength
(% incr.)
90 Days
Compressive
Strength
(% incr.)
180 Days
Compressive
Strength
(% incr.)
365 Days
Compressive
Strength
(% incr.)
0%
CNT/TiO2
21.08MPa
(--)
31.89MPa
(--)
31.20MPa
(--)
30.01MPa
(--)
30.01MPa
(--)
0.02%CNT 17.69MPa
(-16.08%)
43.75MPa
(37.19%)
35.59MPa
(14.07%)
30.89MPa
(0%)
28.53MPa
(-4.93%)
0.05%CNT
27.19MPa
(28.98%)
34.88MPa
(9.37%)
31.85MPa
(2.08%)
38.55MPa
(3%)
41.69MPa
(38.92%)
0.1%CNT 21.69MPa
(2.89%)
24.83MPa
(-22.14%)
31.50MPa
(0.96%)
30.16MPa
(0%)
50.78MPa
(69.21%)
1% TiO2
25.24MPa
(19.70%)
36.71MPa
(12.60%)
35.92MPa
(15.10%)
33.42MPa
(11.40%)
41.16MPa
(37.20%)
2.5% TiO2
20.34MPa
(-3.50%)
34.97MPa
(9.60%)
37.80MPa
(21.20%)
40.96MPa
(36.50%)
28.16MPa
(-3.20%)

43. *Ghosal M, Chakraborty ,’Estimation of the Mechanical Response of Nano Materials in Cement Concrete – A Study’, International
Journal of Scientific Engineering & Science, Volume 1, Issue 6,pp.42-46,2017

44. Type of Concrete SLUMP
(mm)
28 Days Compressive
Strength
(% incr.)
28 Days Flexure
Strength
(% incr.)
28 Days Split
Tensile Strength
(% incr.)
M-40 Grade
Concrete
100 40.12MPa
(--)
7.13MPa
(--)
3.34MPa
(--)
0M-40 Grade
Nano-
Concrete(0.75
% nS)
105
(5%)
49.77MPa
(24.1%)
7.63MPa
(7.01%)
4.52MPa
(35.3%)
0M-40 Grade
Nano-
Concrete(1%
TiO2)
110
(10%)
43.96MPa
(9.57%)
---- ----
M-40 Grade
Nano-
Concrete(0.02
% CNT)
120
(20%)
54.58MPa
(36%)
8.82MPa
(23.7%)
4.92MPa
(47.3%)
Geo Polymers 130
(30%)
-- -- --

45. Type of Concrete Exposure
Conditions
Strength
at 28 days
Strength
at 90 days
(% incr.)
Strength
at 180 days
(% incr.)
Control
Concrete
In Air 40.12 49.71 48. 34
In MgCl2 -- 48.51 57.63
In MgSO4 -- 47.04 47. 96
M-40 Concrete
( n-TiO2))
In Air 43.96
(9.57%)
43.34
[-12.81%]
41.83
[-13.47%]
In MgCl2 -- 36.89
[-14.88%]
62.48
[49.36%]
In MgSO4 -- 35.68
[-17.67%]
68.67
[64.16%]
M-40 Concrete
( CNT))
In Air 54.58
(36.04%)
72.37
(45.58%)
73.67
(52.40%)
In MgCl2 -- 67.78
(39.72%)
A79.73
(38.35%)
In MgSO4 -- 65.07
(38.33%)
68.54
(42.91%)
M-40 Concrete
( nS))
In Air 49.77
(24.05%)
38.28
(-22.99%)
56.44
(16.76%)
In MgCl2 -- 34.19
(-29.52%)
33.43
(-41.99%)
In MgSO4 -- 33.29
(-29.23%)
33.99
(-29.13%)

47. 27.73
42.27
31.5
17.69
43.75
28.53
25.24
36.71
41.16
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
7 day Strength 28 day Strength 365 day Strength
nS(opt.)
CNT(opt.)
n-TiO2(opt.)

48. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Compressive
Strength
49.77
54.58
43.96
40.12
nS
CNT
n-TiO2
Control
Concrete

49. 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Flexure
Tensile Strength
7.13
3.34
7.63
4.52
8.82
4.92
Control
Concrete
nS
CNT

50.  Techniques for dispersing nanomaterials .
 Chemical and mechanical measurements at
the nanoscale.
 Prediction of nanocomposites’ properties and
service life over a wide range of length scales.
 Unknown health and environmental effects –
virgin, released material.

51.  Nanoscience & Technology Initiative(NSTI) launched
by GOI in 2001=>NANO MISSION under DST
 Initial Budget of NSTI was 6 Crs. whereas DST’s
Budget in 11th 5yr Plan(2007-12) was 19,300 Crs.
 Reliance & TATA has invested significantly in Nano-
Tech. Research
 India has weak Industry-Institution linkages & hence
we are unable to create Market Products
 National Centre for Nano Materials was made in 2004

52.  Commercialization remains a challenge
 User-Concerns are not being properly addressed
 No ‘Regulatory Framework’
 Unknown Risks Loom Large, globally
 Un-thought of Nations may come to Dominate

53.  OPTIMIZATIONS for Nano Materials in
Cement Mortar -nS, CNT & TiO2 are 0.75%,0.02% &
1% w.r.to Cement weight. For long term strength
the trend is not clear. Fly ash based
cement(PPC) has a tendency to arrest the long
term variations for nS
 Same optimizations produced good results for
CONCRETE & GeoPolymers(workability).
 Also the DURABILITY of CNT and n-TiO2
added M-40 concrete was appreciable.

55.  Further research on micro structural
studies like
XRD,SEM,AFM,TEM,STM are
necessary for characterization of
nano materials in concrete.