Paper Title
Study on the Compressive and Flexural Strength of Cement-Based Composites Enhanced with Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract
Nanoparticles are recognized as the most commonly used materials for improving the properties of cement-based composites. Their incorporation is suitable for enhancing the microstructural properties of construction materials and filling voids in the concrete. The progress of carbon nanotubes has yielded an improvement in the engineering fields and the durability of concrete materials. In this paper, the mechanical properties of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were studied with three-point bending tests into prismatic specimens with 40 mm x 40 mm x 160 mm dimensions. Specifically, four different proportions of MWCNTs such as 0.1 wt.%, 0.2 wt.%, 0.3 wt.%, and 1.0 wt.% by the mass of cement were applied to prepare nanomodified cement-based specimens. The method that was used to disperse the MWCNTs was 60 minutes of sonication energy. The results revealed that the proportion of 0.1 wt.% MWCNTs yielded the highest 28-day-compressive(55.5 MPa)and flexural(6.9 MPa)strength in contrast to the other mixtures. Thus, MWCNTs are suitable for preparing cementitious materials with enhanced mechanical properties. Keywords - Nanomaterials, Multi-wall Carbon Nanotubes, Compressive Strength, Flexural Strength, Cement-based Composites.