Electrical Properties of Carbon Nanotube and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites

Abstract

The addition of nano/micro scale carbon-based materials into cement-based composites is of significance for achieving reliable electrical properties in different civil engineering practices. The present study aims to disperse carbon-based materials homogenously for the improved electrical performance for non-structural functionalities. The investigation addresses the different mixing methods of carbon nanotubes (CNT) and carbon fibers (CF) on the electrical properties of cement mortars. To do this, two mixing methods for each carbon-based material were applied and the electrical properties of cement mortars were evaluated via alternating current (AC) measurements. Although both carbon-based materials were able to improve the electrical properties, CFs were more pronounced in terms of reducing the electrical resistivity values of specimens compared to CNT-based and reference specimens. It is worth noting that proposing different methods may also further enhance the electrical properties for the specific mixture design of cement-based composites.