Construction and Building Materials 94 (2015) 758–766

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Construction and Building Materials

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat

Effect of nano-CuO and fly ash on the properties of self-compacting

mortar
Mojdeh Mehrinejad Khotbehsara a, Ehsan Mohseni a, Mohammad Ali Yazdi b,c,⇑, Prabir Sarker d,
Malek Mohammad Ranjbar a
a
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
b
School of Naval architecture, Ocean and Civil engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
c
State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
d
Department of Civil Engineering, Curtin University, Perth, Australia

h i g h l i g h t s

 The combination effects of nano-CuO and fly ash on mortar were studied.

 There was a relatively steep rise in resistivity by increasing FA and CuO contents.
 The combination of FA and NC significantly reduced the chloride permeability.
 Interfacial transition zone became more compact and denser with nano-CuO.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This paper presents the fresh and hardened properties of self-compacting mortar (SCM) incorporating
Received 4 March 2015 nano-CuO (NC) and fly ash (FA). CuO nanoparticles at the rates of 1%, 2%, 3% and 4%, and low-calcium
Received in revised form 18 May 2015 fly ash at the rates of 20%, 25%, and 30% of the binder by weight were considered. Mini slump flow diam-
Accepted 12 July 2015
eter and mini V-funnel flow time tests were conducted to determine the rheological properties of SCMs
Available online 18 July 2015
incorporating fly ash and nano-CuO. Compressive strength was determined at the ages of 7 days as an
early age, 28 days as the standard age and 90 days as a late age. Water absorption, electrical resistivity
Keywords:
and rapid chloride permeability tests (RCPT) were also performed to determine the durability properties.
Compressive strength
CuO nanoparticles
The results showed significant improvement in the mechanical properties of the samples incorporating
Durability the replacement of cement with a combination of 3% CuO nanoparticles and 25% FA. Chloride permeabil-
Fly ash ity and electrical resistivity of the FA blended mixtures improved with the increase of nano-CuO content
Self-compacting mortar up to 4%. The SEM micrographs indicated more packed pore structure of the SCMs containing nanopar-
Workability ticles which could lead to increasing the strength and durability of specimens.
RCPT Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Electrical resistivity

1. Introduction
Traditionally vibrated concrete has some drawbacks such as
producing differential mechanical and durability properties
because of non-uniform compaction and the noise associated with
the vibration. This has encouraged researchers to develop a
groundbreaking type of concrete, namely self-compacting concrete
(SCC) [1–3]. The mortar components play a very important role in
the performance of SCC. First and foremost, the lubricating role of
mortar in SCC is crucial since it gives SCC its fluidity, and let the
concrete mixture get compacted under its own weight. It also
⇑ Corresponding author at: School of Naval architecture, Ocean and Civil
engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
E-mail address: m.a.yazdi@sjtu.edu.cn (M.A. Yazdi).
brings the coarse aggregates close to each other by its high viscid-
ity and then the mortar in between will be exposed to normal
stress and act as a pressure conveyor [4]. Moreover, the mortar
phase has the similar properties of concrete [5–8] and it contains
all the ingredients of SCC except the coarse aggregate. Due to the
above mentioned benefits which mortar offers, this study aims to
investigate the properties of self-compacting mortars (SCM)
instead of SCC. The workability of the fresh mortars, and the
strength development and durability properties of the hardened
mortar specimens were studied.
However, the strength characteristics of SCMs are largely
affected by the physical properties of solid particles in mortar.
So, it becomes necessary to put importance on the characteristics
of materials used in SCMs.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.07.063
0950-0618/Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 M.M. Khotbehsara et al. / Construction and Building Materials 94 (2015) 758–766 759

Recently, the application of by-product and nano materials into Table 1

mortar or concrete has been considered significantly. By-product Chemical composition of and physical properties of ordinary Portland cement and fly
ash.
materials such as fly ash (FA) are used in mortar mixtures as a par-
tial replacement for cement, as they contribute to a series of ben- Chemical analysis Cement (wt%) Fly ash (wt%)
eficial performances by demonstrating economic, environmental SiO2 21.56 55.8
and technical advantages. When the mixture proportions are prop- Al2O3 6.67 20.75
erly designed, inclusion of FA can improve the engineering proper- Fe2O3 6.17 6.66
CaO 49.88 4.12
ties and sustainability of mixtures. Effects of FA on the MgO 4.51 1.9
improvement of various properties of fresh and hardened concrete SO3 2.75 0.44
were studied in previous research studies [9–11]. K2O 0.76 1.73
Nanotechnology is the understanding, control, and restructur- Na2O 0.43 0.78
LOI 2.79 1.95
ing of matter in the order of nanometers (i.e., less than 100 nm)
Physical properties
to create materials with fundamentally new properties and func- Specific gravity (g/cm3) 3.15 2.2
tions. There are many potential areas where nanotechnology can Specific surface area (cm2/g) 3250 5230
benefit construction engineering, i.e. its application in concrete,
structural composites, coating materials and in nano-sensors, etc.
2.2. Mixture proportions
Researchers have carried out studies on the application of ultrafine
and nanoparticles into concrete specimens to improve their phys- A total of 16 different mixtures with 700 kg/m3 of the binder were prepared.
ical and mechanical properties [12–14]. However, most of them The amount of fly ash was considered as a variable and used at the rates of 20%,
have focused on using nano-SiO2 (NS), nano-TiO2 and nano-Fe2O3 25% and 30% of the weight of the total binder. The nanoparticles were added in
quantities of 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt% and 4 wt% of the binder. These ratios were
(NF) particles [15–23]; only few studies have been conducted on obtained through carrying out some preliminary trials on the mixtures. The water
the potential of using copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles in con- to binder ratio of the mixtures was fixed at 0.4. Table 3 gives the proportions of
struction materials [17,24]. Copper oxide (CuO) can be found in the mixtures.
dusts and galvanic sludge recovered after treating gas in areas
which use scraps as raw materials, such as in steel factories and 2.3. Production of test specimens
foundries [18]. Nazari et al. (2011) investigated the effects of
The large surface area of nanoparticles may prevent them showing a uniform
CuO nanoparticles on the properties of self-compacting concrete distribution in the mixture. As this can directly affect the physical and mechanical
incorporating ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) as a properties of the mortars, the specimen production procedure used in this study
binder. The results show that, replacing CuO nanoparticles up to was finalized after conducting several preliminary experiments and the following
3.0 wt% can accelerate C–S–H gel formation associated with the mixing procedure was considered:
To start, cement and sand were mixed for approximately 1 min at a speed of
increased crystalline Ca(OH)2 amount at the early age of hydration 80 rpm. Then, fly ash, 30% of water and the nanoparticles were added and mixed
and therefore enhances the strength and improves the water per- speedily for about 1 min. After mixing the materials, the mixture was rested for
meability of concrete specimens [19]. Kolovos et al. [18] used around 1.5 min. Eventually, the rest of the water (70%) with superplasticizer were
CuO and ZnO as an addition in the cement raw matrix. Based on added and mixed completely for 2 min. The dosage of superplasticizer was varied
in the mixtures to achieve a slump flow diameter of 240–260 mm. The properties
the results, burnability of the Portland cement raw mix and the
of fresh mortar were obtained by conducting mini slump flow and mini V-funnel
strength of the cements were increased with adding oxides, with- flow tests. Furthermore, bleeding and segregation of mortars were observed
out significantly affecting the hydration rate and the physical prop- visually.
erties. Nazari et al. [20] studied the influence of CuO nanoparticles Fresh mortar was cast into 50  50  50 mm cubes for compressive strength,
on the compressive strength of SCC mixtures. The results showed water absorption and electrical resistivity tests. Cylindrical specimens of
100  50 mm were cast for the RCPT. After casting, the specimens were left inside
that increasing the nano-CuO ratio above 4% led to a decrease in
the mold for 24 h. Then the specimens were de-molded and kept in water at
the compressive strength of specimens. However, there is still a 23 ± 3 °C until they were tested.
lack of durability and microstructure assessment of concrete or
mortar incorporating nano-CuO. 2.4. Test methods
This study investigated the fresh and hardened properties of
Flowability of the mortar mixtures was assessed by measuring the slump flow
self-compacting mortar containing CuO nanoparticles and fly ash.
diameter in the absence of any obstruction. The compressive strength test was con-
To this end, various experimental tests such as mini V-funnel flow ducted in accordance with ASTM-C109 [28] using a hydraulic testing machine
time and mini slump flow diameter tests were conducted to deter- under the loading rate of 1350 N/s as shown in Fig. 2. The water absorption test
mine the rheological properties of mortar mixtures, and compres- was conducted according to ASTM C642 [29] on 50  50  50 mm mortar speci-
sive strength, water absorption, electrical resistivity and rapid mens at 28 days of curing. Each test result was taken as the average of three repet-
itive test specimens. Specimens were dried after 28 days immersing in the water by
chloride permeability test (RCPT) experiments to assess the hard-
being placed in a ventilated oven at a temperature of 105 ± 5 °C for 24 h. Then the
ened properties of mortar specimens. weight of samples was assessed by a digital scale. This procedure was repeated until
the difference in mass was less than 5% of the dried specimen. This mass was
2. Experimental program recorded as the dried mass (MD). To determine the saturated mass (MS), specimens
were put in the water for 24 h and then weighed again. This was repeated until the
2.1. Materials difference in mass was less than 5% of the sample. The water absorption (W) is cal-
culated by Eq. (1).
In this study, Portland cement type II complying with the requirement of ASTM
MS  MD
C150 [25] and various ratios of class F fly ash were used. Table 1 shows the chemical W¼ ð1Þ
MD
and physical properties of cement and fly ash. Nano-CuO with an average particle
size of 15 nm, density of 1.09 kg/m3 and morphology of nearly spherical in liquid Electrical resistivity of concrete is used as a measure of its resistance to the cor-
form with 30 wt% in water was used as received. The spherical shape of the CuO rosion of embedded reinforcing steel. Cube specimens with dimensions of
nanoparticles can be seen in the transmission electron micrograph (TEM) shown 50  50  50 mm were prepared and the electrical resistivity values were mea-
in Fig. 1. The properties of nano-CuO particles are given in Table 2. Natural river sured on the 90th day after casting. As it is shown in Fig. 3, electrical resistivity test
sand with fineness modulus 2.25 and specific gravity of 2.58 g/cm3 was used as includes an electrical resistance measurement device and two electrodes to be
the natural fine aggregate. To accelerate the compaction process of specimens, a attached to both sides of the samples, and the resistivity values were then calcu-
polycarboxylic-ether type super plasticizer (SP) of PCE with a density of lated using Eq. (2).
1.03 g/cm3 conforming to ASTM C494 TYPE F [26] was utilized. Different dosages
of SP were used to meet the prescribed standards, according to EFNARC RA
q¼ ð2Þ
Committee [27]. L
760 M.M. Khotbehsara et al. / Construction and Building Materials 94 (2015) 758–766

Fig. 1. Nano-CuO particles of uniform distribution observed using transmission electron micrographs (TEM) (of size 50 nm).

Table 2 table that the slump flow values for different mortar groups were
The properties of Cuo nanoparticles. in the range of 240–260 mm, while V-funnel flow time ranges from
Nanoparticles Diameter (nm) Specific surface area (m2/g) Purity (%) 7 to 11 s. The flow diameter generally increased with the addition
Nano-CuO 15 ± 3 200 >99
of fly ash as compared to that of the control mixture. In other
words, less amount of superplasticizer was required to maintain
the same flow as the amount of fly ash increased (Table 3). This
is due to the lower internal friction associated with replacing angu-
where, p is the resistivity (kO cm), R is the resistance (O), A is the area of sample
(cm2) and L is the length of the sample (cm). lar cement particles with the fly ash of a relatively smooth surface
Rapid chloride permeability test was conducted on standard cylindrical samples and spherical shape. The trend seen in the flow diameter to
with diameter and thickness of 100 mm and 50 mm, respectively, in accordance decrease the workability of specimens containing nanoparticles
with ASTM C-1202 [30]. Then the transmission charge was recorded with a PC for was also observed for the V-funnel flow time test. Instead,
6 h. The specimens were subjected to RCPT by impressing 60 V. It should be noted
that the obtained results indicate the strength of specimens against chloride perme-
FA-containing specimens had the lowest mini V-funnel time in
ability but do not determine the permeability of samples. comparison with the other mixtures, apart from the mixtures con-
taining 25% fly ash which obtained the lowest time with the high-
est CuO content. The improving effect of fly ash on the workability
3. Results and discussion
is due to its spherical shape which tends to reduce friction at the
interface of aggregate and paste and producing ‘‘ball-bearing
3.1. Properties of fresh self-compacting mortar
effect’’ at the contact point [31,32]. The effect of fly ash on
The slump flow diameter and V-funnel flow time values mea-
sured for each mixture are given in Table 4. It can be seen from this

Table 3
Mixture proportions of nano-CuO particles blended concretes.

Sample Cement FA Nano CuO Water Sand SP

ID (kg/m3) (kg/ (kg/m3) (kg/m3) (kg/m3) (kg/
m3) m3)
Control 700 0 0 280 1195 8.4
F20 560 140 0 280 1148 7
F20NC1 553 140 7 280 1136 7
F20NC2 546 140 14 280 1124 7
F20NC3 539 140 21 280 1113 7
F20NC4 532 140 28 280 1101 7
F25 525 175 0 280 1136 5.6
F25NC1 518 175 7 280 1124 5.6
F25NC2 511 175 14 280 1113 5.6
F25NC3 504 175 21 280 1101 5.6
F25NC4 497 175 28 280 1089 5.6
F30 490 210 0 280 1124 4.9
F30NC1 483 210 7 280 1113 4.9
F30NC2 476 210 14 280 1101 4.9
F30NC3 469 210 21 280 1089 4.9
F30NC4 462 210 28 280 1077 4.9
Fig. 2. Compressive strength test using hydraulic testing machine.
 M.M. Khotbehsara et al. / Construction and Building Materials 94 (2015) 758–766 761

3.2. Mechanical and durability properties of self-compacting mortar

The mechanical properties of the hardened mortar were inves-

tigated through conducting compressive strength tests at 7, 28 and
90 days of curing. Water absorption, electrical resistivity and rapid
chloride permeability tests were also performed to determine the
durability properties of the specimens on the 90th day after
casting.

3.2.1. Compressive strength

The compressive strength was determined at 7, 28 and 90 days
of curing and the results are given in Fig. 4. Each strength of this
figure is the average value obtained from three specimens. It can
be seen in the figure that the compressive strength decreased with
the replacement of FA up to 30% at all ages. This observation is con-
sistent with the general trend shown by FA-containing concretes
[37–39].
In contrast with the compressive strength of the specimens
cured for 7, 28 and 90 days, it is observed that increasing
nano-CuO up to 3% increased the compressive strength, and then
the compressive strength decreased at a replacement ratio above
3%, except in mixtures containing 30% fly ash. In fact, the further
increase in the content of nanoparticles leads to weakness of pore
structure in the specimens. Hence, it lacks in formation and growth
of Ca(OH)2 crystals due to space limitations and so the strength
tends to decrease. Moreover, this might be due to non-uniform dis-
tribution of nanoparticles in the mortar matrix [20]. Other
researchers also observed a similar effect. Nazari and Riahi
(2011a) showed that the increase of the CuO nanoparticles more
than 4 wt% led to the reduction of the compressive strength of mix-
tures [15]. Riahi and Nazari (2011b) observed that the compressive
Fig. 3. Electrical resistivity test set up. strength of concrete which was cured in water increased with
nanoparticles up to 1 wt% and then it declined, though the strength
of 2 wt% nanoparticles was still higher than that of the control con-
improving fluidity is also reported by other researchers [33,34]. crete [40]. However, a different trend was reported by Nazari and
Moreover, the results clearly show that the influence of fly ash Riahi (2011c). The compressive strength of SCC increased as the
on the workability is much more than that of the nanoparticles. CuO nanoparticle content was increased up to 4 wt%. This might
As the replacements content of nano-CuO increased, the unit be because of the formation of more hydrated products in the pres-
weight of the mixtures reduced, which prevented ence of CuO nanoparticles in self-compacted concrete [20].
self-compactibility of concrete to be achieved completely through In terms of strength development, specimens with more than
its weight and led to a higher V-funnel time [35]. An increase of 1% nano-CuO had a higher compressive strength in comparison
V-funnel flow time as a result of replacing natural coarse aggre- with the mixtures without nano-CuO in each group. However,
gates with lightweight aggregates was reported by Kim et al. mixes with 3% nano-CuO and 25% fly ash achieved the highest rate
(2010) as well [36]. Consequently, this shows that an increase of of strength development as compared to the other mixes.
nano-CuO content improves the packing of particles and reduces Therefore, a 3% addition of CuO nanoparticles and a 25% addition
the free water. As a result, a higher internal friction can be seen, of FA to mortars as the optimum limit was observed in this study.
which leads to a decrease in the flowability. It might be deduced that the increase in compressive strength is
due to the higher pozzolanic behavior of fly ash with higher con-
Table 4 tents of CuO nanoparticles. In fact, CuO nanoparticles act as a for-
Fresh properties of mortars. eign nucleation site, and they may provide strengthening gel which
Sample ID Slump flow diameter (mm) V-funnel flow time (s) causes strengthening of the specimens.
Control 240 11
Furthermore, as can be observed in Fig. 1, which shows the
F20 255 9.1 nanoparticles morphology, nanoparticles have a high surface area
F20NC1 255 9.5 to volume ratio and can act as nuclei for cement phases, further
F20NC2 255 9.7 promoting cement hydration due to their high reactivity.
F20NC3 250 10
Figs. 5a–b and 6a–b show SEM micrographs of the specimens
F20NC4 250 10.1
F25 255 8.3 without and with nano-CuO at 7 and 28 days, respectively.
F25NC1 245 8.9 Based on the results of morphological analysis, important dif-
F25NC2 245 9.2 ferences in the form and the texture of various reaction products
F25NC3 245 9.4 in the pastes with and without nanoparticles can be seen (Figs. 5
F25NC4 250 8.2
F30 255 7.6
and 6). As can be observed in Fig. 6, specimens with CuO nanopar-
F30NC1 255 7.9 ticles have lower capillary pores in comparison with the mixtures
F30NC2 250 8.2 without nanoparticles. It is evident from Fig. 6 that the improve-
F30NC3 250 8.9 ment in the compressive strength by the replacement of fly ash
F30NC4 250 9.5
and nano-CuO with cement is attributed to the refined
762 M.M. Khotbehsara et al. / Construction and Building Materials 94 (2015) 758–766
microstructure of the reaction product with a low pore water solu-
tion and less interconnectivity among the pores.
However, it is evident from Fig. 5b that some of the CuO
nanoparticles did not react and acted only as filler in mortar mix-
tures at the age of 7 days. However, rapid formation of C–S–H gel
in the presence of CuO nanoparticles was resulted after adequate
curing (Fig. 6). So denser microstructure or lower porosity results
were obtained which improved the durability of mortar as
described in the next section. One of the most important properties
affecting pozzolanic activity is the fineness of fly ash. As shown in
Fig. 6, the spherical shape of FA particles allowing them to flow and
blend freely in mortar mixtures. This phenomenon is more signif-
icant at 28 days as the nanoparticles react with water in alkali
environment and then with calcium hydroxide to accelerate the
formation of extra C–S–H gel and to reduce the content of
Ca(OH)2 crystals in the paste and slow down the strength develop-
ment at late age.
3.2.2. Water absorption
The results of water absorption tests are plotted in Fig. 7. It can
be seen that the percentage of water absorption of specimens
reduced with the increase of nano-CuO particles from 1% to 4%
for all specimens during the hardening process of the mortar.
Cement replacement by fly ash decreased water absorption in
the mixtures F20 and F25 as compared to that of the control mix-
ture. FA particles improve the durability of concrete through con-
trol of high thermal gradients, pore refinement, and continued
micro structural development through pozzolanic reaction and a
long-term hydration. However, the replacement of cement with
30% fly ash slightly increased the water absorption, which is about
3% higher than that of the control sample. This is similar to the
observation by Jalal et al. (2013) that water absorption value
decreased with the increase of fly ash content [39]. Similarly,
Naganathan and Linda (2013) reported a decrease in water absorp-
tion with increased fly ash fineness [41]. It is the C–S–H gel forma-
tion in the presence of fly ash that reduces the water absorption of
the blended mortar by reducing the porosity. This is in agreement
with the results obtained by Nazari et al. [19]. It is shown by the
results that the addition of CuO nanoparticles decreased the water
absorption of the specimens. The decrease in water absorption
with the addition of CuO nanoparticles is resulted from the
reduced amount of pores, which can be observed in Fig. 6. This is
because CuO nanoparticles act as filler densifying the
Fig. 4. Compressive strengths of self-compacting mortars containing nano-CuO at different ages.
microstructure and the interfacial transition zone (ITZ), thereby,
leading to a reduced porosity.
There are a couple of studies about relationships between tests
in recent publications [42]. In order to understand the interdepen-
dence between the properties of mortars containing nanoparticles
and fly ash, the water absorption values of specimens are plotted
against compressive strength in Fig. 8. It can be seen in the figure
that water absorption tends to decrease linearly with the increase
of compressive strength. The explanation of this is that the produc-
tion of a more compact hydration product with a lower amount of
porosity increases the compressive strength and decreases the
water absorption.
3.2.3. Electrical resistivity
The electrical resistivity values which indicate the level of prob-
ability of corrosion through the mortars, were compared with the
limits suggested by ACI Committee 222 [43], and are plotted in
Fig. 9. The results show that electrical resistance of mortars
increased significantly with the increase of CuO nanoparticles
and fly ash in the binder. It can be seen that the electrical resistivity
of the control mixture is between 5 and 10, which indicates a high
probability of corrosion of steel bars embedded in the mixture. The
resistivity values of the mixtures F20NC4, F25NC3, F25NC4 and
F30NC4 are above 20 indicating a very low probability of corrosion
in these mixtures. In contrast, other mixtures had the resistivity
between 10 and 20 are in a low to moderate range of corrosion.
Therefore, a low probability of corrosion was observed in the mix-
tures containing 20–30% fly ash and 4% nano-CuO. In fact, the
higher nano-CuO content, the higher resistivity will be. This is
due to the fact that the inclusion of fly ash and CuO nanoparticles
gives rise to a lower porosity and hence a lower pore water solu-
tion in the specimens (Fig. 6b). It is known that the pore water acts
as an electrolyte for the current, resulting in a reduction in the pore
water solution by the inclusion of fly ash and nano-CuO has
resulted in reduced probability of corrosion.
3.2.4. Rapid chloride permeability test results
Corrosion of embedded steel is caused by the penetration of
chloride ions in concrete. Corrosion of reinforcing steel is initiated
when its depassivation layer is destructed by the chloride trans-
ported through concrete. Thus, determining the chloride perme-
ability of mortars helps to investigate the durability of mortar
and concrete. Although the main mechanism of chloride transport
for the near-surface unsaturated hardened mortar is absorption,
 M.M. Khotbehsara et al. / Construction and Building Materials 94 (2015) 758–766 763

As seen in Fig. 10, large improvements against chloride pene-

tration were achieved with the inclusion of CuO nanoparticles
due to their important role in refining the pores in the mortar.
The interconnected pores are usually the paths through which
chlorides penetrate into mixture. Thus, refining the
pore-structure of the mortar can be considered as an influential
way of resistance to chloride transportation [51]. The best result
was obtained by the F25NC4 mixture, which showed a 60%
decrease of RCPT value in comparison with that of the control
mortar sample. This is worth noting that all samples with CuO
nanoparticles are placed in a category with low to moderate chlo-
ride permeability (Fig. 10).
Linear regression was performed to obtain the relationship
between the RCPT and electrical resistivity results, which is shown
in Fig. 11. These results also highlight that there is an inverse rela-
tionship between the electrical resistivity and rapid chloride per-
meability test (electrical conductivity) values of the mortars. The
linear regression coefficient (R2) of the correlation between electri-
cal resistivity and RCPT for different SCMs is found to be 0.93
(Fig. 11). The strong correlation coefficient reflects a higher rela-
tionship between two different durability tests.

4. Conclusion

The test results of the rheological, mechanical and durability

properties of self-compacting mortar (SCM) containing fly ash
and CuO nanoparticles were studied. The conducted tests were
slump flow and V-funnel flow time of the fresh samples,

Fig. 5. SEM micrograph of SCM (a) without CuO nanoparticles and (b) with CuO
nanoparticles at 7 days.

the gathering of chlorides in this layer is the result of further pen-

etration of chlorides into concrete by diffusion [44]. Many
researchers used RCPT to evaluate the durability of concrete or
mortar [45,46]. Though some researchers have raised concerns
over this test [47,48], RCPT is a very commonly used test due to
its simplicity.
The total charges passed, which indicate the level of chloride
ion penetration through the mortars, were compared with the lim-
its suggested in AASHTO [49], and are shown in Fig. 10. As can be
inferred from the results, using CuO nanoparticles and fly ash has
positively influenced the chloride permeability of the mixtures. It
can be seen that the charge passed in the mixtures containing fly
ash and nano-CuO was less than that of the control mixture. The
mixtures with 25% fly ash showed the least values of charge
passed. The mixtures with 30% fly ash showed a higher charge
passed than those with 25% fly ash. However, the values are still
lower than that of the control mortar. The inclusion of a relative
large amount of pozzolans causes an increase in porosity which
is resulted from the reduced amount of Portland cement. This
results in less hydration products especially at the early age where
the pozzolanic reaction is small. Chindaprasirt et al. showed that
the incorporation of finer fly ash particles increases the resistance
to chloride penetration of concrete [50]. The reductions in pore
water solution and the pore interconnectivity of mortars led to a
decrease in the permeability of FA-containing mortars. In general,
the FA-containing samples can be classified as mortars with mod-
erate chloride permeability, while control sample is among the
mixtures with high chloride permeability, in accordance with the Fig. 6. SEM micrograph of SCM (a) without CuO nanoparticles and (b) with CuO
recommendations of AASHTO given in Fig. 10. nanoparticles at 28 days.
764 M.M. Khotbehsara et al. / Construction and Building Materials 94 (2015) 758–766

Fig. 7. Water absorption of the mortar mixtures.

Fig. 8. Statistical correlation between water absorption and compressive strength.

Fig. 9. Electrical resistivity levels of SCMs containing CuO nanoparticle and fly ash as Per ACI Committee 222.

compressive strength up to 90 days, water absorption, electrical Inclusion of CuO nanoparticles at 3 wt% of the binder increased
resistivity and chloride permeability tests. Based on the results, the compressive strength of mortars with 20 wt% and 25 wt% of FA
the following conclusions are drawn: contents. However, the proportion of 4 wt% CuO nanoparticles led
 M.M. Khotbehsara et al. / Construction and Building Materials 94 (2015) 758–766
Fig. 10. Chloride permeability levels of SCMs containing CuO nanoparticles and fly ash as Per ASTM C1202-07.
Fig. 11. Statistical correlation between RCPT and electrical resistivity in 90 days.
to a decrease in strength of the samples. In general, replacing
cement with a combination of 25% FA and 3% CuO nanoparticles
can be considered as the optimum content for the maximum com-
pressive strength.
Use of fly ash as a partial replacement for Portland cement
reduced the water absorption and large improvements against
water absorption were observed with the inclusion of CuO
nanoparticles in SCM mixtures.
From electrical resistivity point of view, the similar trend can be
seen in all specimens. In fact, there has been a relatively steep rise
in resistivity by increasing the FA and CuO contents. This rate is
more significant for samples containing CuO nanoparticles. The
highest electrical resistivity was observed in the mixture contain-
ing 25% fly ash and 4% nano-CuO.
The combination of fly ash and CuO nanoparticles significantly
reduced the chloride permeability of specimens. In fact, the addi-
tion of nano-CuO particles decreased the permeability noticeably.
The best chloride permeability result was obtained by the mortars
with 25% fly ash and 4% nano-CuO, which gives a 63% decrease in
chloride permeability compared to the control specimen.
References
[1] R. Madandoust, M.M. Ranjbar, Y. Mousavi, An investigation on the fresh
properties of self-compacted lightweight concrete containing expanded
polystyrene, Constr. Build. Mater. 25 (2011) 3721–3731.
765
[2] M. Jalal, E. Mansouri, M. Sharifipour, A. Pouladkhan, Mechanical, rheological,
durability and microstructural properties of high performance self-compacting
concrete containing SiO2 micro and nanoparticles, Mater. Des. 34 (2012) 389–
400.
[3] R. Madandoust, Y. Mousavi, Fresh and hardened properties of self-compacting
concrete containing metakaolin, Constr. Build. Mater. 35 (2012) 752–760.
[4] O.R. Khaleel, H. Abdul Razak, The effect of powder type on the setting time and
self compactability of mortar, Constr. Build. Mater. 30 (2012) 20–26.
[5] H. Okamura, K. Ozawa, Mix-design for self-compacting concrete, Concr. Libr.
JSCE 25 (1995) 107–120.
[6] P.L. Domone, J. Jin, Properties of mortar for self-compacting concrete, in:
Proceedings of the first international RILEM symposium on self-compacting
concrete, Stockholm, Sweden, 1999, 109–120.
[7] B.V. Mayur, H.M. Shriram, Experimental investigation on self-compacting
concrete using glass powder, Int. J. Eng. Res. Appl. 2 (2012) 1488–1492.
[8] A. Nazari, S. Riahi, The Effects of ZnO2 nanoparticles on strength assessments
and water permeability of concrete in different curing media, Mater. Res. J. 14
(2011).
[9] P. Nath, P.K. Sarker, Effect of fly ash on the durability properties of high
strength concrete, Proc. Eng. 14 (2011) 1149–1156.
[10] P.K. Sarker, Early-age tensile strength and calcium hydroxide content of
concrete containing low calcium fly ash, Austr. J. Struct. Eng. 14 (3) (2013)
206–215.
[11] E. Mohseni, M.M. Ranjbar, M.A. Yazdi, S.S. Hosseiny, E. Roshandel, The effects
of silicon dioxide, iron(III) oxide and copper oxide nanomaterials on the
properties of self-compacting mortar containing fly ash, Mag. Concr. Res.
(2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/macr.15.00051.
[12] S.F. Ahmed, S. Supit, P.K. Sarker, Effect of nano silica on compressive strength
of high volume fly ash mortar and concrete, Mater. Des. 60 (2014) 433–442.
[13] S. Supit, S.F.A. Shaikh, P.K. Sarker, Effect of ultrafine fly ash on mechanical
properties of high volume fly ash mortar, Constr. Build. Mater. 51 (2014) 278–
286.
[14] J. Yang, E. Mohseni, B. Behforouz, M.M. Khotbehsara, An experimental
investigation into the effects of Cr2O3 and ZnO2 nanoparticles on the
766 M.M. Khotbehsara et al. / Construction and Building Materials 94 (2015) 758–766
mechanical properties and durability of self-compacting mortar, Int. J. Mater.
Res. (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.3139/146.111245.
[15] A. Nazari, S. Riahi, Effects of CuO nanoparticles on microstructure, physical,
mechanical and thermal properties of self-compacting cementitious
composites, J. Mater. Sci. Technol. 27 (2011) 81–92.
[16] M. Oltulu, R. Sahin, Single and combined effects of nano-SiO2, nano-Al2O3 and
nano-Fe2O3 powders on compressive strength and capillary permeability of
cement mortar containing silica fume, Mater. Sci. Eng. A 528 (2011) 7012–
7019.
[17] I. Fernández Olmo, E. Chacon, A. Irabien, Influence of lead, zinc, iron (III) and
chromium (III) oxides on the setting time and strength development of
Portland cement, Cem. Concr. Res. 31 (2001) 1213–1219.
[18] G.K. Konstantinos, CuO and ZnO addition in the cement raw mix: effect on
clinkering process and cement hydration and properties, Ceram. J. 49 (2005)
205–212.
[19] A. Nazari, M.H. Rafieipour, S. Riahi, The effects of CuO nanoparticles on
properties of self-compacting concrete with GGBFS as binder, Mater. Res. J. 14
(2011) 307–316.
[20] A. Nazari, S. Riahi, Effects of CuO nanoparticles on compressive strength of self-
compacting concrete, Indian Acad. Sci. 36 (2011) 371–391.
[21] E. Mohseni, B.M. Miyandehi, J. Yang, M.A. Yazdi, Single and combined effects of
nano-SiO2, nano-Al2O3 and nano-TiO2 on the mechanical, rheological and
durability properties of self-compacting mortar containing fly ash, Constr.
Build. Mater. 84 (2015) 331–340.
[22] H. Du, S. Du, X. Liu, Effect of nano-silica on the mechanical and transport
properties of lightweight concrete, Constr. Build. Mater. 82 (2015) 114–122.
[23] H. Du, S. Du, X. Liu, Durability performances of concrete with nano-silica,
Constr. Build. Mater. 73 (2014) 705–712.
[24] R. Madandoust, E. Mohseni, S.Y. Mousavi, M. Namnevis, An experimental
investigation on the durability of self-compacting mortar containing nano-
SiO2, nano-Fe2O3 and nano-CuO, Constr. Build. Mater. 86 (2015) 44–50.
[25] ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) ASTM (2001) C150:
Standard specification for Portland cement, in: Annual Book of ASTM
Standards, ASTM, Philadelphia, PA.
[26] ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) ASTM (2001) C494: TYPE F:
Standard Specification for Chemical Admixtures for Concrete.
[27] EFNARC, Specification and guidelines for self-compacting concrete. Feb. 29–35,
2002.
[28] ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) ASTM (2007) C109-93:
Standard Specification for the compressive strength of hydraulic cement
mortars using 2’’ (50 mm) cube specimens.
[29] ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) ASTM C642 (2013):
Standard Test Method for Density, Absorption, and Voids in Hardened
Concrete.
[30] ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) ASTM (2013) C-1202:
Standard Specification for Compressive Strength of Mortars.
[31] S. Wei, Y. Handong, Z. Binggen, Analysis of mechanism on water reducing
effect of fine ground slag, high-calcium fly ash, and low calcium fly ash, Cem.
Concr. Res. 33 (8) (2003) 1119–1125.
[32] H. Okamura, M. Ouchi, Self compacting concrete, J. Adv. Concr. Technol. 1 (1)
(2003) 5–15.
[33] M. Sonebi, Medium strength self-compacting concrete containing fly ash:
modeling using factorial experimental plans, Cem. Concr. Res. 34 (7) (2004)
1199–1208.
[34] C.K. Park, M.H. Noh, T.H. Park, Rheological properties of cementitious materials
containing mineral admixtures, Cem. Concr. Res. 35 (5) (2005) 842–849.
[35] H.Y. Wang, W.L. Huang, A study on the properties of fresh self-consolidating
glass concrete (SCGC), Constr. Build. Mater. 24 (2010) 619–624.
[36] Y.J. Kim, Y.W. Choi, M. Lachemi, Characteristics of self-consolidating concrete
using two types of lightweight coarse aggregates, Constr. Build. Mater. 24
(2010) 11–16.
[37] P. Nath, K. Sarker, Effect of mixture proportions on the drying shrinkage and
permeation properties of high strength concrete containing class f fly ash,
KSCE J. Civil Eng. 17 (6) (2013) 1437–1445.
[38] P.M. Zode, Utilization of fly ash in cement concrete. Sinhgad Academy of
Engineering, Kondhwa(Bk.), Pune-48 (India), No. 133, 2013.
[39] M. Jalal, M. Fathi, M. Farzad, Effects of fly ash and TiO2 nanoparticles on
rheological, mechanical, microstructural and thermal properties of high
strength self-compacting concrete, Mech. Mater. 61 (2013) 11–27.
[40] S. Riahi, A. Nazari, Compressive strength and abrasion resistance of concrete
containing SiO2 and CuO nanoparticles in different curing media, Sci. China
Technol. Sci. 54 (2011) 2349–2357.
[41] S. Naganathan, T. Linda, Effect of fly ash fineness on the performance of cement
mortar, Jordan J. Civil Eng. 7 (2013) 326–331.
[42] X. Liu, H. Du, M. Zhang, A model to estimate the durability performance of both
normal and light-weight concrete, Constr. Build. Mater. 80 (2015) 255–261.
[43] ACI Committee 222, Protection of metals in concrete against corrosion, ACI
222R–01; 2001. p. 41.
[44] W.J. Carter, M. Emerson, H. Ezirim, Properties of concrete in the cover zone:
developments in monitoring techniques, Mag. Concr. Res. 47 (172) (1995)
243–251.
[45] A. Alhozaimy, P. Soroushian, F. Mirza, Effect of curing conditions and age on
chloride permeability of fly ash mortars, ACI Mater. J. 93 (1) (1996) 87–95.
[46] C. Shi, Effect of mixing proportions of concrete on its electrical conductivity
and the rapid chloride permeability test (ASTM C1202 or ASSHTO T277)
results, Cem. Concr. Res. 34 (2004) 537–545.
[47] M. Hale, B.W. Russell, T.D. Bush, An assessment of the rapid chloride ion
penetrability test, in: Proceedings of the International Conference on Concrete
for Extreme Conditions, University of Dundee, Scotland, UK, 2002, pp. 447–
456.
[48] N. Gowripalan, H. Mohamed, Chloride-ion induced corrosion of galvanized and
ordinary steel reinforcement in high-performance concrete, Cem. Concr. Res.
28 (8) (1998) 1119–1131.
[49] AASHTO T 277-86, Rapid determination of the chloride permeability of
concrete, American Association of States Highway and Transportation Officials,
Standard Specifications – Part II Tests, Washington, DC, 1990.
[50] P. Chindaprasirt, C. Chotithanorm, H.T. Cao, V. Sirivivatnanon, Influence of fly
ash fineness on the chloride penetration of concrete, Constr. Build. Mater. 21
(2013) 356–361.
[51] G. Nayak, Chloride-ion impermeability of self-compacting high-volume fly ash
concrete mixes, Int. J. Civil Environ. Eng. 11 (2011) 29–33.