PMSS Project Details

Project ID:	FHWA-PROJ-10-0083
Project Name:	Use of Nanoporous Thin Films (NPTF) to Improve Aggregate-Cement Interface
Status:	Active
Contact:	Last Name: Youtcheff First Name: Jack Telephone: 202-493-3090 E-mail: jack.youtcheff@dot.gov
Organization:	Federal Highway Administration - Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC)
Office:	Office of Infrastructure Research and Development
Team:	Pavement Materials Team
Roadmap/Focus area(s):	Infrastructure Research and Technology Strategic Plan and Roadmap
Project Description:	Synthesize sol-gel nanoaluminosilicates with various Si/Al ratios and characterize the effect on hydration of Alite and Portland cement. Develop characterization procedures for characterizing paste samples, and tailor solubility of nanoaluminosilicate thin films through inorganofunctionalization to optimize performance.
Laboratories:	Chemistry Laboratory Concrete Laboratory
Start Date:	April 1, 2010
End Date:	April 1, 2013
Funding Amount:	$0.00
FHWA Program Name:	Eisenhower Fellowships
Goals:	Design new types of concrete nanoadditives to enhance the long-term mechanical performance of cementitious materials.
Project Type:	Onsite
Background Information:	Data not yet available
Test Methodology:	Spectroscopic characterization of cement pastes conducted using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR); nanomaterial dispersion evaluated using scanning electron microscopes (SEM).
Other Information:	Data not yet available
Partners:	Data not yet available
More Information URL(s):
Fieldtest:	Data not yet available
Expected Benefits:	Improvement in performance of hydraulic cements through the use of nanomaterials.
Deliverables:	Name: Mechanism for using nanoparticles to strengthen the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) in concrete. Product Type(s): Research report, Article Description: Fundamental understanding of interfacial transition zone (ITZ) and the effect of aluminosilicates on the composition of cement pore solution during early hydration stage. Audiences: Concrete industry, Federal Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center staff, Researchers Secondary Audiences: , Nanoresearchers, Concrete producers
Related URL(s):
Project Findings:	Optimized surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) colloids to enable the characterization of calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) in concrete samples. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) of xerogels analysis indicated no major sign of Si-O-Al (silica-oxygen-aluminum) formation when combining nanosilica with nanoboehmite or gibbsite. Calorimetry data indicate that silica and Si-O2-AlOOH (boehmite) mixes accelerate the hydration of C3S (alite) and C3A (tricalcium aluminate); however, boehmite and mixtures of Si-O2-AlOOH-rich boehmite only have an effect on the C3A. Combinations of Si-O2-AlOOH accelerated the hydration reaction of the cement to a higher degree than nanosilica and boehmite individually; this effect is dependent on the silicon-to-aluminum ratio and correlates with this acceleration. Optimal Si to Al ratio found to be 0.65.
FHWA Topics:	Research/Technologies--Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) Research/Technologies--FHWA Research and Technology
TRT Terms:	Materials Cement Cement Paste Hydration Infrastructure Spectroscopy Research
FHWA Disciplines:	Pavement and Materials Structures
Subject Areas:	Materials