Study on Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes and Its Influence on Mechanical Properties of Mortar

In this paper, a combination method of surfactant and ultrasonic treatment was used to disperse MWCNTs in aqueous solution. The dispersion effect of MWCNTs with different ultrasonic time and dispersant content was characterized by UV-VIS spectrophotometer. In addition, the influence of MWCNTs content on the mechanical properties of mortar was investigated, and the reasons for its influence were analyzed. The results showed that the optimal content of dispersant and the optimal ultrasonic time was 90% of the mass of MWCNTs and 45 minutes, respectively. When the content of MWCNTs was 0.1% of the cement volume, the compressive and flexural strength of the mortar were greatly improved. However, excessive content of MWCNTs can lead to agglomeration of MWCNTs, resulting in a significant decrease in the mechanical properties of the mortar.