Carbonation of Shale Ceramsite High-Strength Lightweight Concrete Incorporating Graphene Oxide

The growing demand of concrete for improving durability has stimulated extensive research on graphene oxide (GO). Carbonization, as an irreversible deterioration, should be paid more attention to high-strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC) with the characteristics of porous structure. In this study, the effect of different low content of GO on the carbonation depth of HSLWC made from shale ceramsite was experimentally investigated. Subsequently, the effect of GO on pore distribution of HSLWC was analyzed. Four groups of grade 60 HSLWC were designed for comparative experiments, in which 0.00%, 0.01%, 0.03% and 0.05% (by weight of cement) GO were added, respectively. The results indicated that GO could effectively reduce the carbonization depth of HSLWC. When GO content was 0.05%, the carbonization depth was reduced by approximately 23%. The main reason was that GO not only reduce the total porosity but also refine the pores, thus improving the carbonization resistance of HSLWC.