ABSTRACT
An ultrasonic treatment was used to ensure that the nano zinc oxide abbreviated ZnO, was uniformly dispersed throughout the cement paste mixture with addition of fly ash, replacing 10% of the weight of cement. The characteristics of the cementitious mixture were investigated in this research work. The experimental work was carried out by adding nano-ZnO in increments of 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75% and 1% by weight of cement, resulting in changes in the characteristics of the concrete paste. The quantity of nano-ZnO present in the cementitious mixture had a notable influence on the consistency of the cement. This impact was also found when the cement paste contained only 0.5% cement by weight. The electrical resistance studies found that the inclusion of nano-sized particles can both delay the hydration of blended cement mix and increase the hydration rate. The findings of experiments revealed that increasing the nano-ZnO concentrations in the cement paste resulted in greater long-term strength. Furthermore, the pore diameter distribution was optimized by the inclusion of nano-ZnO and a tight microstructure was formed in the cementitious mixture at 28 days.
Keywords:
Zinc Oxide; Nano-particles; Compressive strength; Tensile strength; Hydration