Using graphene oxide to improve the mechanical and electrical properties of fiber-reinforced high-volume sugarcane bagasse ash cement mortar

The application of graphene oxide in construction materials has gained a significant amount of interest. Although most of the researches mainly concentrate on early hydration and the mechanical and fracture properties of cement paste, the study of graphene oxide on ultrasonic pulse velocity and electrical properties of high-volume, fiber-reinforced sugarcane bagasse ash mortars (HVSCBAM) shows limited knowledge. The combined effect of graphene and polyvinyl alcohol may explain some key issues such as high cost and the dispersion of graphene oxide in the cement matrix. In this present research, a set of experiments was conducted for analyzing the implementation of graphene oxide on electrical properties, water absorption, ultrasonic pulse velocity analysis, and compressive strength of fiber-reinforced HVSCBAM, with a sugarcane bagasse ash/binder rate established at 50% by mass. Four weight ratios of graphene oxide/binder, i.e., 0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%, were used, and the PVA fiber volume dosages of 0%, 0.2%, 0.5%, and 1.0% were mixed with sand and binder in a mortar mixer as well. In relation to 0.2–1.0 vol% PVA fiber-reinforced HVSCBAM short of graphene oxide, it has been seen that an increase of 0.5 wt% graphene oxide could enhance the compressive strength by 13–48% further while an increasing amount of 1.5 wt% graphene oxide could improve compressive strength even by 36–53%. The graphene oxide/PVA-altered cement content takes up to 47.7% higher electrical resistivity, 70.2% lower water absorption, and 24.3% higher ultrasonic pulse velocity as compared to control mortar. The microstructure characteristics indicate that the graphene oxide has simplified the interface between the fiber and the matrix significantly.