Review on Mechanical Properties of Cement Mortar Enhanced with Nanoparticles

Cement mortar is a building composite produced by mixing cement and a selection of fine aggregates with a specified amount of water. The mortar can be used for a number of applications, such as plastering over bricks or other forms of masonry. Cement mortar has a low strength and durability, so it is not efficiently used for aggressive environment, such as chemical industries, offshore structures, power plants etc. Cement is a chief component of production of mortar. The leading problematic of global warming is CO2 emission, throughout the cement manufacture. To overcome the above shortcomings, nano particles are added. If nano particles are combined with cement based building material, the new material might possess some outstanding properties. When nano-scale particles are integrated in cement mortar or in concrete, the products with different properties will be created. Nano particles can accelerate cement hydration due to their high activity and also they act as a nano-filler, compacting the microstructure, and consequently increase the strength and durability. By introducing the engineered nano materials (ENM) such as nano-SiO2, nano-Fe2O3, nano-Al2O3, nano-CuO, nano-TiO2, etc. , and nano structured waste materials which can increase the mechanical properties and durability of the concrete and mortar.