A Comprehensive Study on Geaphene Concrete: Properties, Applications, and Future Prospects

Abstract

Graphene concrete is an emerging material that focuses on enhancement of conventional concrete’s properties by combining graphene based nanomaterirals. It is a great example of sustainable and high-performance construction material. Graphene concrete offers promising solution to carbon emission and increases structural integrity. This paper explores the synthesis methods, mechanical and chemical properties, current applications, challenges, and test evaluations of graphene concrete, providing insights into its future potential in the constructiom industry.

Introduction

1. Introduction

Concrete is widely used in construction, but its production emits large amounts of CO?, mainly due to cement manufacturing. The integration of graphene, a nanomaterial known for its exceptional mechanical and chemical properties, is being explored to enhance concrete’s performance and reduce its environmental footprint.

2. Literature Review

Research has shown that incorporating graphene-based materials like graphene oxide (GO), reduced GO (rGO), and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) significantly improves:

• Compressive and flexural strength (up to 30%)

• Chloride resistance

• Permeability reduction

3. Materials and Methodology

• Water-cement ratio: 0.40

• Graphene content tested: 0.05% and 0.1% by weight of cement

• Concrete grade: M25

• Mixing: Graphene dispersed in water via ultrasonic mixing to avoid clumping.

4. Testing and Evaluation

A. Compressive Strength Test

Concrete cubes (150mm x 150mm x 150mm) were tested:

• 0.05% graphene: ~18.7% increase in strength at 28 days

• 0.1% graphene: ~23.5% increase at 28 days

B. Workability (Slump Test)

• 0% graphene: 95mm slump (Medium workability)

• 0.05% graphene: 112mm slump (High workability)

• 0.1% graphene: 168mm slump (High workability)

5. Results and Discussion

• Graphene improves strength and workability.

• Strength increased progressively with higher graphene content over 7, 14, and 28 days.

• Improved dispersion and consistency lead to better hydration and microstructure.

Challenges

• High cost of graphene

• Difficult dispersion (insoluble in water)

• Lack of standardized mixing and testing methods

6. Applications

Graphene concrete is ideal for:

• High-performance infrastructure

• Eco-friendly buildings

• Complex architectural forms

• Structures with dense reinforcement

Conclusion

Graphene concrete is a revolutionary step in construction materials. With enhanced mechanical performance, and sustainability, it has the potential to redefine the building and maintenance of structures. In future problems like limitation of applications due to cost and technical barriers may be reduced because of ongoing research and future industrial collaboration.

References

[1] Pan, Z., He, L., Qiu, L., Korayem, A.H., Li, G., Zhu, J.W., Collins, F., Li, D., Duan, W.H., Wang, M.C. (2015). \"Mechanical properties and microstructure of a graphene oxide–cement composite.\"Cement and Concrete Composites, 58, 140–147. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2015.02.001] [2] Bai et al. (2016) – \"Research on electrical conductivity of graphene/cement composites\" published in Advances in Cement Research. This study investigates the electrical conductivity of graphene/cement composites and introduces a logistic function to describe the relationship between conductivity and graphene content. [3] Xu et al. (2021) – \"Influence of Carbonation on the Electrical Conductivity of Graphene/Cement Composite\" published in the Journal of Wuhan University of Technology-Mater. Sci. Ed.. This research examines how carbonation affects the electrical conductivity of graphene/cement composites. [4] Jiang et al. (2023) – \"Investigation on the Electrical Conductivity of Graphene/Cement Composites by Alternating Current Method\" published in PubMed. This paper analyzes the electrical conductivity of graphene/cement composites using both DC and AC techniques. [5] Mohammed, A., Sanjayan, J.G., Nazari, A., & Al-Saadi, N.T.K. (2018).\"The role of graphene oxide in limited long-term carbonation of cement-based matrix.\"Construction and Building Materials, 168, 858–866. [6] Reddy, P. V. R. K., & Prasad, D. R. (2022).\"Graphene oxide reinforced cement concrete – a study on mechanical, durability and microstructure characteristics.\"Fullerenes, Nanotubes and Carbon Nanostructures, 31(3), 255–265.

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Vishakha Pawar, Vaishnavi Dubal, Sakshi Hulwan, Kartik Bhujgurav, Adinath Pawar. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.