Effect and mechanism analysis of hydroxylated nano‑boron nitride on workability and multi‑scale mechanical properties of cement paste

Nano-boron nitride (h-BN) has excellent physical and mechanical properties. Due to its stable chemical performance, the improvement effect on the properties of cement-based materials was limited. Therefore, the chemical modification method was used to prepare functional h-BN to improve its application potential in cement-based materials in this paper. The hydroxylated nano-boron nitride (h-BN-OH) was prepared by modified pristine h-BN with saturated sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The effects of h-BN-OH after ultrasonic dispersion for 10 min, 20 min, 30 min and 40 min on the setting time, fluidity, resistivity, mascroscopic strength and microscopic Young’s modulus of hydration products of ordinary Portland cement were investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) test results showed that h-BN-OH had obvious hydroxyl infrared characteristic peaks. After adding h-BN-OH into cement paste, the initial and final setting time of cement paste was shortened 6.44-15.34% and 5.05-13.00%, respectively; the fluidity was reduced 9.86-22.79%, and the resistivity was increased 7.14-25.96%. Meanwhile, the compressive strength of cement paste and the microscopic Young’s modulus of hydration products were significantly improved 10.82-40.85% and 9.90-31.01%, respectively. The main reasons were as follows: (1) The dispersion effect and stability of h-BN-OH in cement pore solution were better than that of pristine h-BN, and the hydroxyl group grafted on the h-BN-OH provided nucleation sites for the growth of calcium-silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gel. (2) The hydroxyl groups grafted on the h-BN-OH can absorb Ca2+, resulting the polymerization degree (nc) and medium chain length (MCL) of C-S-H gel increased. The formation of C-S-H gel network structure was accelerated by the increasing proportion of Q3. (3) The pore structure of cement hydration products was significantly optimized.

---

Opracowanie rekordu ze środków MEiN, umowa nr SONP/SP/546092/2022 w ramach programu "Społeczna odpowiedzialność nauki" - moduł: Popularyzacja nauki i promocja sportu (2022-2023)