Study on the effect of nanosilica suspension on the properties of cement-based grouts

Abstract

The agglomeration trend of nanosilica particles was found to significantly affect the properties of cement-based materials. The influence of nanosilica suspension on the fluidity, setting time, and compressive strength of cement-based grouts were studied. The hardened pastes were characterized by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the fluidity of cement-based grouts with nanosilica suspension had obviously improved. The setting time was obviously decreased, compared with the reference sample. The compressive strengths for 1 day, 3 days, and 28 days were 12.8%, 14.3%, and 10.1% higher than that of the reference group, respectively. This paper may provide a novel route to improve the mechanical properties of cement-based materials without affecting their workability.