Investigations of graphene oxides and cement on strength performance of soil

Abstract

Recent studies confirm the ability of graphene oxides (GO) for the improvement of cementitious-based soil material properties. The current study aimed to explore the influence of GO and cement on the spectroscopic, thermal, structural, and strength of soil experimentally. The spectroscopic analysis studied by FTIR showed the presence of GO and cementitious contents in the soil sample by detecting the vibration modes of respective components. Thermal (TGA) analysis revealed a slight loss in weight with the increase in temperature up to 1000 °C majorly due to the presence of moisture contents. SEM equipped with an EDX technique was implemented to examine the sample of microstructure containing GO. X-ray diffraction (XRD) recorded patterns confirmed the configuration of mineralogical contents of soil modified with GO and cement. For mechanical properties, composites samples were prepared at different concentrations of GO (0.03, 0.05, 0.1 wt% of cement) and cement (5, 10, 15, 20 wt% of the soil) to evaluate compaction characteristics, unconfined compression strength (UCS) and swelling parameters. The experimental outcomes portrayed that the increment in GO content causes prompt improvement in compressive strength (nearly 10 times compared with untreated soil sample) and reduces swelling pressure of treated soil tests. UCS behavior was boosted with the GO contents in the samples. Results depicted that the GO as an alleviating agent has significant impact on the physical features of expansive soil that will be beneficial for the construction of roads, dams, and bridges. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd