Preparation and properties of vapor grown carbon fibers reinforced cement-matrix composites

A study on the preparation and performance of vapor grown carbon fibers(VGCFs) reinforced cement-matrix composites was carried out. VGCFs were prepared from de-oiled asphalt (DOA) by chemical vapor deposition(CVD) and then the cement-matrix composites were prepared with the VGCFs. The results show that the compressive strength and electrical conductivity of VGCFs reinforced cement-matrix composites with lower fiber content can be enhanced. The resistivity of cement-matrix composites decreases and compressive strength increases with weight fraction of VGCFs increasing from 0 to 0.6 % in the paste. A fiber content of 0.4 % by mass of cement is recommended, yielding a resistivity of 1.49×10³ Ω·cm. This value is lower by two orders of magnitude the value 5 of 3.25×10⁵ Ω·cm for the same paste without VGCFs. And the compressive st rength increases by 28.8 % as the VGCFs content increases from 0 to 0.4 % by mass of cement .