Nanomodification of Civil Engineering Materials

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanofabrication and Nanomanufacturing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 14 November 2025 | Viewed by 525

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Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
Interests: tunnel engineering; structural engineering; materials engineering
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Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China
Interests: microstructure characterization and durability evaluation of green construction materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the small size effect, surface effect, quantum size effect, and macroscopic quantum tunneling effect of nanomaterials, the nanomodification of civil engineering materials has become a global research hotspot in the field of engineering. Nanomodification has become an important method, with particular use in concrete projects with high requirements for early-age strength and durability. For example, in the shotcrete at the tunnel entrances in cold regions, in ultra-high-toughness concrete, or in ultra-high-performance concrete obtained via natural curing, the role of nanomaterials is extremely significant.

We welcome scholars to submit manuscripts and share research achievements in the nanomodification of civil engineering materials, especially regarding nanomodified cement-based materials, to jointly promote the development of this research direction.

Prof. Dr. Shengai Cui
Dr. Ruizhe Si
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • nanomodification
  • civil engineering materials
  • cement-based materials
  • Nano-SiO2
  • Nano-TiO2
  • shotcrete in cold-region tunnels
  • ultra-high durability
  • nano-dispersion

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

28 pages, 6702 KiB  
Article
Mechanistic Insights into the Fracture Toughness Enhancement of Nano-TiO2 and Basalt Fiber Bar Reinforced Magnesium Phosphate Cement
by Wei-Kang Li, Sheng-Ai Cui, Yu-Peng Li, Ya-Lei Zeng, Guang Zeng and Wei Xia
Nanomaterials 2025, 15(15), 1183; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano15151183 - 1 Aug 2025
Viewed by 411
Abstract
Magnesium phosphate cement (MPC) exhibits brittleness when utilized as a repair material for bridge decks. To address this issue, this study employs nano-TiO2 (NT) and a novel material (basalt fiber bar) as modifiers. A double-K fracture model is developed for the modified [...] Read more.
Magnesium phosphate cement (MPC) exhibits brittleness when utilized as a repair material for bridge decks. To address this issue, this study employs nano-TiO2 (NT) and a novel material (basalt fiber bar) as modifiers. A double-K fracture model is developed for the modified MPC to quantitatively evaluate the enhancement of fracture toughness induced by NT and basalt fiber bars. The cracking behavior and toughening mechanisms of the NT and basalt fiber bar reinforced MPC are investigated using extended finite element theory and composite material theory. Additionally, a formula is proposed to calculate the incremental fracture toughness of NT and basalt fiber bar reinforced MPC. The results indicated that NT and basalt fiber bar can effectively enhance the ultimate bending capacity of MPC. The improvement increases with the fiber volume fraction, and noticeable bending hardening occurs when the fiber content exceeds 2%. With the same fiber volume fraction, the peak load can be increased by up to 11.7% with the addition of NT. The crack initiation toughness of the NT group without basalt fiber bars is 58% higher than that of the CC group. The content and diameter of basalt fiber bar are critical parameters affecting the toughness of the NT and basalt fiber bar reinforced MPC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomodification of Civil Engineering Materials)
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