A New Dispersion Strategy to Achieve High Performance Graphene-Based Cement Material

The addition of graphene and its derivatives can enhance the mechanical and functional properties of cement-based composites, but most of the current technologies have limited dispersion and are costly. The creation of a cost-effective graphene-reinforced cement material with uniform graphene dispersion remains difficult. We used glucose as an economical carbon source to induce the in-situ formation of graphene on cement particles. Our proposed method is approximately 80% less expensive than commercial techniques. Evaluation of the microscopic morphology demonstrated uniform distribution of graphene in the cement matrix, which improved the mechanical properties of the cement paste. The compressive strengths of the test groups with 3% carbon source improved by almostly 38% and 48.9%, respectively, compared with pure cement paste. This newly established technique is essential for the future design of excellent graphene-based cement materials and the achievement of multifunctional cementitious applications.