New MWCNT-Maleic Anhydride-Nonene-1 based Additive Material for the Improvement of the Compressive Strength of Concrete

The concrete strengthening additive based on the multi-walled carbon nanotubes was synthesized under mild conditions through a radical polymerization route by the reaction of oxidized nanotubes with maleic anhydride and alpha-nonene monomers. The nanotubes used as the main reinforcing component of the additive were synthesized by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) using Fe-Co/Al2O3 as the catalyst. The resulting nanocomposite was characterized by structural and surface morphological aspects via transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), FTIR, XRD and Raman techniques. Investigation of mechanical properties revealed that the obtained nanostructure is an appropriate additive material for concrete strengthening purposes with about 51.3% strengthening potential.