In recent years, with the higher requirements for the performance of cement-based materials and the call for energy conservation and environmental protection, a wave of research on new materials has set off, and various high-performance concrete and more environmentally friendly geopolymers have appeared in the public. With a view to solving the defects of energy consumption, environmental protection and low toughness of traditional cement-based materials. At the same time, nanomaterials have become a focus of current research. Therefore, the research on the properties of cement-based materials and geopolymers modified by graphene and its derivatives has aroused extensive interest of researchers. Graphene-based nanomaterials are one of them. Because of their large specific surface area, excellent physical properties have been favored by many researchers. This paper reviews the research progress of graphene-based nanomaterials in improving the properties of cement-based materials and geopolymer materials, and points out the main challenges and development prospects of such materials in the construction field in the future.

Poor crack resistance, high brittleness, and poor toughness are inherent limitations of traditional cement-based materials. Besides, cement-based materials have certain shortcomings in energy consumption and environmental protection. Therefore, improving the performance of cement-based materials becomes a hot topic in related research. At the same time, the development of nanomaterials and technologies provides researchers with a new research idea: to enhance the performance of cement-based materials at the nanoscale level. Graphene oxide (GO) is one of the most representative nano-reinforcements. Due to its high surface area and excellent physical properties, GO has a surprising effect on improving the performance of cement-based materials. In addition, nanosilica (NS) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have excellent improvement on cement-based materials, and people also hope to further improve the performance of cement-based materials through the interaction of various nanomaterials. In this paper, the influence of GO on cement-based materials is reviewed by consulting a lot of correlative literature, mainly focusing on the following aspects: (i) The dispersion of GO in cement paste. (ii) The influence of GO on the properties of cement-based materials, including working performance, mechanical strength, microstructural characteristics, and durability. (iii) The effect of nanohybrid materials of GO, NS, and CNTs on cement-based materials, and the synergistic effects of various nanomaterials are reviewed for the first time. (iv) Evaluation of current progress. This paper aims to provide guidance for the study and application of GO-modified cement-based materials and nanohybrid materials.

Nano-silica (NS) is one of the most important nanomaterials in recent years. It is used as a new cement-based composite reinforcement in building materials because of its high volcanic ash activity. In order to achieve the goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutralization, combined with the research idea of cementitious materials-reducing admixture for concrete, under the condition of reducing the amount of cement in concrete by 20%, the influence of different dosages of NS on the setting time and mechanical properties of concrete was analyzed. In addition, the shrinkage performance, impermeability, and resistance to chloride-ion permeability of concrete were also studied. The results show that under the same curing conditions and ages, when the NS dosage is 2.5%, the compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of the specimen after 28 days of curing are the highest, reaching 40.87 and 3.8 MPa, which show an increase by 6.6 and 15.15%. The shrinkage performance of concrete increases with the increase in NS dosage. In addition, when the NS dosage is 2.0%, the durability of concrete has also been greatly improved. The impermeability of concrete increased by 18.7% and the resistance to chloride-ion permeability increased by 14.7%. Through microscopic analysis it was found that NS can promote the hydration reaction, generate more hydration products such as calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H), enhance the interfacial adhesion between the matrix and the aggregate, and form a closer interfacial transition zone. Moreover, the addition of NS also reduces the cumulative pore volume in concrete, refines the pore size, and makes the internal structure of concrete denser.

Nanomaterials have been increasingly employed for improving the mechanical properties and durability of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) with high volume supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). Recently, graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets have appeared as one of the most promising nanomaterials for enhancing the properties of cementitious composites. To date, a majority of studies have concentrated on cement pastes and mortars with fewer investigations on normal concrete, ultra-high strength concrete, and ultra-high-performance cement-based composites with a high volume of cement content. The studies of UHPC with high volume SCMs have not yet been widely investigated. This paper presents an experimental investigation into the mini slump flow and physical properties of such a UHPC containing GO nanosheets at additions from 0.00 to 0.05% by weight of cement and a water–cement ratio of 0.16. The study demonstrates that the mini slump flow gradually decreases with increasing GO nanosheet content. The results also confirm that the optimal content of GO nanosheets under standard curing and under steam curing is 0.02% and 0.04%, respectively, and the corresponding compressive and flexural strengths are significantly improved, establishing a fundamental step toward developing a cost-effective and environmentally friendly UHPC for more sustainable infrastructure.