Construction and Building Materials 47 (2013) 1069–1077

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Construction and Building Materials

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat

Review

Beneficial role of nanosilica in cement based materials – A review

L.P. Singh ⇑, S.R. Karade, S.K. Bhattacharyya, M.M. Yousuf, S. Ahalawat
CSIR – Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee 247 667, India

h i g h l i g h t s g r a p h i c a l a b s t r a c t

 Silica nanoparticles have potential to

develop more durable and sustainable
high performance concrete.
 Low strength and delay in setting of
eco-concrete has been improved with
the incorporation of nanosilica.
 Calcium leaching was well controlled
by the addition of nanosilica.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Nanomaterials are gaining widespread attention to be used in construction sector so as to exhibit
Received 2 January 2013 enhanced performance of materials in terms of smart functions and sustainable features. During the last
Received in revised form 3 April 2013 one decade a number of nanomaterials such as nanosilica, nanotitania, carbon nanotubes and nanoalu-
Accepted 4 May 2013
mina have been explored and among them nanosilica has been used most extensively. A number of pub-
Available online 27 June 2013
lications appeared towards the use of nanosilica in cementitious system is mainly due to the fact that
concrete remains the most complex material and its hydration mechanism is still not completely under-
Keywords:
stood. Consequently, researchers are focusing on the basic science of this material at nano/atomic level.
Silica nanoparticles
Nano-engineered concrete
Further, researchers are continuing to improve the durability and sustainability of concrete, and they
Microstructure have realized significant increment in mechanical properties of cementitious materials by incorporating
UHPC nanosilica. This review paper summarizes the effects of nanosilica addition on hydration kinetics, micro-
structure refinement, fresh/hardened properties and durability characteristics of concrete.
Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contents

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1070
1.1. Nucleation reaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1071
1.2. Pozzolanic reaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1071
2. Nanomaterials and cement composites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1071
3. Influence of nanosilica in cement composites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1072
3.1. Cement paste and mortar with nanosilica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1072
3.1.1. Hydration and microstructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1072
3.1.2. Fresh properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1072

⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +91 1332 283442.

E-mail address: lpsingh@cbri.res.in (L.P. Singh).

0950-0618/$ - see front matter Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.05.052
1070 L.P. Singh et al. / Construction and Building Materials 47 (2013) 1069–1077

3.1.3. Mechanical properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1072

3.1.4. Thermal behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1073
3.1.5. Calcium leaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1073
3.2. Concrete with nanosilica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1073
3.2.1. Hydration and microstructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1073
3.2.2. Mechanical properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1073
3.2.3. Durability properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1074
3.3. Self compacting concrete with nanosilica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1074
3.4. Pozzolanic concrete with nanosilica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1074
4. Evaluation of the present scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1074
5. Summary and conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1074
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1075

1. Introduction materials. Performance enhancement of cementitious system con-

Concrete remains the choice of engineers in construction mate-
rials owing to its remarkable features like mold-ability to various
shapes, easily available ingredients, high strength and low cost in
spite of its environmental concern. Approximately 20 billion met-
ric ton of concrete is being produced every year [1]. The production
of cement for concrete is contributing nearly 8% of global carbon
dioxide emission [2] and thus, a matter of concern for environmen-
talist. It is a composite material with wide range of length scales
from millimeter to nanometer. Usually concrete is taken as one
material by considering its bulk strength and other engineering
properties, but at micro and nanoscale, it is having different type
of compositions with complex characteristics. There has been al-
ways a relationship between the microstructure and bulk proper-
ties and researchers are making efforts to establish this
relationship in concrete. The contemporary building sector is
working for the development of advanced and new cementitious
Fig. 1. Development of green concrete using nanotechnology.
sists of judicious utilization of materials, developing more durable
and sustainable concrete to reduce the maintenance and life cycle
cost. There are two approaches for the performance enhancement
of cement based materials, one is to find out suitable alternative
materials to replace cementitious materials such as geopolymers
and another approach is tuning the performance of cement by
admixtures.
Nanotechnology is an emerging avenue of research having a po-
tential impact on every domain of science and technology [3].
There are number of definitions for nanotechnology given by many
researchers. Drexler et al. [4] defined as ‘‘the control of the struc-
ture of matter based on molecule-by-molecule control of products
and by-products’’. Some researchers defined as ‘‘the understand-
ing, control and manufacturing of matter on the order of nanome-
ters (lesser than 100 nm) to create materials with fundamentally
new properties and functions [5]. For construction sector, nano-
technology can be defined as science of controlling the properties
at nanometer scale which can make revolutionary changes in bulk
material properties.
The aim of the application of ultra-fine additives like nanosilica
in cementitious systems is to improve the characteristics of the
plastic and hardened material. Micro and nano-scaled silica parti-
cles have a filler effect by filling up the voids between the cement
grains. With the right composition, the higher packing density re-
sults in a lower water demand of the mixture and it also contrib-
utes to strength enhancement due to the reduced capillary
porosity. Beside this physical effect as obtained by addition, nano-
silica has a pozzolanic reactivity which is much higher compared
to silica fume. Thus, both the effects are very important in develop-
ing ultra-high performance concrete [6–8] (Fig. 1).
There may be two possible reaction mechanisms during hydra-
tion of cement in presence of nanosilica. Hydration of cement can
be accelerated by addition of nanosilica. When nanosilica is added
2
to cement grains, H2 SiO4 forms and reacts with the available Ca2+
which forms an additional calcium–silicate–hydrate (C–S–H) and
these C–S–H particles are spread in the water between the cement
particles and serve as seeds for the formation of more compact C–
S–H phase. The formation of the C–S–H phase is no longer limited
on the grain surface alone, as in the pure C3S, but also takes place in
the pore space. The formation of large numbers of seeds thereby
causes an acceleration of early cement hydration (Fig. 2).

Cement + H2O + nano SiO2 Ca2+ + H2SiO42- + H2SiO42- + OH -

From C3 S From nanosilica

C-S-H C-S-H Ca(OH)2

(additional)
 L.P. Singh et al. / Construction and Building Materials 47 (2013) 1069–1077 1071

Fig. 2. Traditional, high performance and nano-engineered UHPC concrete.

1.1. Nucleation reaction
Further, the pozzolanic reaction of nanosilica with Ca(OH)2,
which is formed during the hydration of cement, produces
additional C–S–H which is the main constituent for strength and
density in the hardened cementitious system. At the same time
Ca(OH)2, which hardly contributes to strength development, is
consumed.
1.2. Pozzolanic reaction
2
nano-SiO2 þ H2 O ! H2 SiO4
1. Understanding the science of cement hydration and products
formed at atomic/nanolevel and their characteristics.
2. Enhancing the performance of concrete by tailoring the proper-
ties of concrete with the incorporation of nanomaterials.
The first approach is the quest for fundamental mechanism,
which involves state-of-art instrumentation techniques such as
microscopy, X-ray and other spectroscopic features. The later is
the nano-engineering of concrete by the application of appropriate
nanostructured materials which mainly involves refinement of
microstructure. This paper reviews the available information on
application of nanotechnology in improving the properties of
cementitious materials

CaðOHÞ2 þ H2 O ! Ca2þ þ OH 2. Nanomaterials and cement composites

2 In construction industry, extensive research is going on to im-

H2 SiO4 þ Ca2þ ! C—S—H ðAdditional C—S—HÞ
prove the performance of various building materials and devel-
Using nanotechnology as a research tool, research in concrete opment of durable and sustainable concrete is one among
can be categorized as follows. them. Besides nanosilica the materials used in nanosize are
1072 L.P. Singh et al. / Construction and Building Materials 47 (2013) 1069–1077
Fig. 3. Role of nanosilica in cementitious system.
nano-TiO2, nano-Fe2O3, nano-Al2O3, carbon nanotubes/fibers.
Nano-TiO2 has been found to possess self cleaning properties,
it performs on the mechanism of photocatalytic degradation. It
decomposes the environmental pollutants like NOx, carbon mon-
oxide, chlorophenols, etc. emitted from various polluting sources
[9–19]. The Jubilee Church in Rome, Italy is an example for
self-cleaning concrete structure. Nano-Fe2O3 was observed to in-
crease the flexural strength and providing self-sensing capability.
The electrical conductivity characteristics of the cement mortar
incorporated with nano-Fe2O3 has also been getting altered. This
may be helpful in real time health monitoring of the structures
[20–23]. Nano-Al2O3 resulted in enormous improvement in mod-
ulus of elasticity but not much in compressive strength [24–32].
Carbon nanotubes/fibers (CNTs/CNFs) have been widely investi-
gated by various researchers and reported to increase the
modulus of elasticity and tensile strength tremendously in the
order of TPa and GPa, respectively. The electrical resistance of
the mix can also be reduced with the incorporation of CNTs
and CNFs [33–44].
3. Influence of nanosilica in cement composites
Among all the nanomaterials, nanosilica is the most widely
used material in the cement and concrete to improve the perfor-
mance, because of its pozzolanic reactivity besides the pore-filling
effect. Due to the rapid development of infrastructure, it is neces-
sary to develop a high strength, durable, sustainable and environ-
ment friendly cementitious composites. The nanosilica application
in concrete is more or less satisfying all the above mentioned
parameters (Fig. 3).
3.1. Cement paste and mortar with nanosilica
Nanosilica incorporated cement pastes are studied to under-
stand the hydration process and microstructure evolution. Basi-
cally, this approach is used for the study of fundamental science
behind cement hydration. Cement mortar is the second most
widely studied substance with nanosilica. Mortar studies are used
to explore the rheological and mechanical properties.
3.1.1. Hydration and microstructure
Cement mortar with well dispersed nanoparticles into it has a
dense microstructure even if the nanoparticles are added small
quantity, but if nanoparticles are not dispersed properly, it may re-
sults in voids and weak zones formation [20]. Accelerated hydra-
tion of cement paste and faster formation of calcium hydroxide
at initial period was observed in the nanosilica added cement paste
[6,45–49]. This is because rate of hydration depends upon the sur-
face area of nanosilica particles added. Nanosilica particles act as
nucleation sites to accelerate the hydration. Due to high surface
area and thus high reaction rate heat of hydration was also higher
[50]. It can be inferred that there may be an optimum amount of
surface area at which peak heat evolution will take place. The set-
ting time of fresh cement paste and mortar were decreased by
increasing the content of silica nanoparticles [47,48,51–53]. Singh
et al. mentioned that the compressive strength of cement paste
containing 5% nanosilica was 64% higher at 1 day and 35% at
28 days than that of control cement paste [53]. Nanosilica added
cement paste showed reduction in setting time, shortened dura-
tion of dormant and induction period of hydration, shortening of
time to reach peak heat of hydration and increased production of
calcium hydroxide at early ages [45,48]. Accelerated C3S dissolu-
tion was observed with nanosilica addition [54]. Dense and com-
pact microstructure with lesser amount of calcium hydroxide
crystals was observed and the heat evolution was quite higher than
ordinary Portland cement paste [55–57]. Fig. 4A shows the SEM
micrograph of Ordinary Portland cement paste with more number
of sulfoaluminate needles, Fig. 4B shows the SEM micrograph of ce-
ment paste with nanosilica, which is evident for dense and com-
pact microstructure in addition to the lesser formation of
calcium hydroxide crystals [7,49,55,58]. The 5% nanosilica added
cement paste samples showed the larger crystals of C–S–H in the
order of 1.2 lm; whereas the 1% nanosilica added samples showed
the C–S–H crystal size of 600 nm [59]. From the nanoindentation
studies it was observed that the nanosilica addition significantly
alters the proportions of low stiffness and high stiffness C–S–H
[6,60]. Fig. 5 shows the difference in evolution of heat of hydration
in ordinary Portland cement paste and nanosilica added cement
paste using quasi-adiabatic calorimetry [45]. Nanosilica addition
increased the quantity of C–S–H and C–A–H in the paste [61]. It
has also been found that nanosilica based activators for alkali-acti-
vated fly ash binder possesses better performances in terms of re-
duced porosity and compact microstructure [62].
3.1.2. Fresh properties
Addition of nanosilica into cement paste and mortar demand
more water to retain its workability [47,48,59,63]. In addition to
that reduction in flow spread, increased cohesion and increased
yield stress were also observed with nanosilica addition [45]. To
avoid adverse effects on workability Berra et al. [64] suggested de-
layed addition of water, instead of adding all the mixing water at a
time, keeping certain amount of water and to be added a little la-
ter. Increased plastic viscosity and compressive strength increment
was observed with nanosilica addition [64]. Increased torque, plas-
tic viscosity and yield stress was observed with nanosilica and
nanotitania addition in the cement mortar [65].
3.1.3. Mechanical properties
Formation of C–S–H from calcium hydroxide by pozzolanic
reaction was much higher and quicker in nanosilica added cement
paste than that of plain cement paste with pozzolanic materials. It
leads to the increase in compressive and flexural strength
[7,47,49,55,66]. Jo et al. [55] suggested that 6% of nanosilica addi-
tion with a w/c ratio of 0.23 brings maximum positive results in
cement mortar. These authors also recommended control over
the water content and high range water reducing admixtures,
 L.P. Singh et al. / Construction and Building Materials 47 (2013) 1069–1077
Fig. 4. SEM micrographs of plain (A) and nanosilica modified cement paste (B), adopted from [55].
Fig. 5. Influence of nanosilica on heat of hydration of cement paste, adopted from
[45].
otherwise high quantity utilization of nanosilica will reduce the
strength instead of improving. From nanoindentation technique
it is observed that nanosilica addition to the cement paste im-
proved the modulus of elasticity and hardness [60]. It increased
the compressive strength of cement paste to the range of 20–25%
with 0.5–2% addition of nanosilica by weight of cement. Beyond
2% addition strength reduction was noticed [54]. In fly ash blended
cement paste, nanosilica addition improved the early age strength
[67,68]. Overall performance of sewage sludge ash – cement mor-
tar increased with nanosilica addition, especially initial setting
time and early age strength [53,69]. Nanosilica holds its applica-
tion in ultra fine cements also, the performance of ultra fine ce-
ment increased with nanosilica incorporation [57]. With 0.25%
addition of nanosilica by weight of cement in cement mortar, the
compressive strength was achieved 63.9 MPa and 95.9 MPa at
the age of 1 day and 28 days, respectively [70].
3.1.4. Thermal behavior
Nanosilica addition into the cement paste significantly im-
proved the thermal stability of the cementitious system. Compar-
ing with silica fume added samples, nanosilica added samples
showed lesser strength loss after exposed into elevated tempera-
tures at 500 °C [71]. Mortar containing high volume fly ash showed
higher residual strength after exposed to 700 °C and dehydration of
C–S–H produced calcium silicate which acts as new binding mate-
rial to retain residual strength [72]. Though nanosilica added ce-
ment paste and mortar showed better results, the behavior of
concrete with nanosilica under elevated temperature should be
stufied.
3.1.5. Calcium leaching
The addition of nanosilica modified the porosity of the cement
paste and increased the average chain length of silicate chains
1073
[73,74]. By consumption of calcium, nanosilica helps in reduction
of calcium leaching rate, because calcium hydroxide is the most
susceptible to leaching. The reduced porosity slows down the deg-
radation rate [56,73,75,76]. Singh et al. has reported that the CH
content in the nanosilica incorporated cement paste reduced by
86% at 1 day and up to 62% at 28 days of the hydration process
[56]. The increased chain length of silicate chains is also attributed
with improved resistance to chemical attacks and calcium stabil-
ization. Nanosilica addition also modifies the internal structure of
C–S–H [57,73].
3.2. Concrete with nanosilica
Nanosilica incorporation into cement concrete is the direct
application approach of nanomaterials. Instead of studying the
fundamental mechanism to tailor the desired properties, studying
the behavior of bulk materials in the presence of nanomaterials is
the core of this approach. Researchers worked enormously on the
mechanical and permeability properties of concrete with nanosili-
ca and discussed below.
3.2.1. Hydration and microstructure
Nanosilica incorporation into concrete resulted in denser and
compact microstructure [77–81]. As found in cement paste/mortar
studies the hydration kinetics speeded up and the peak tempera-
ture was shifted within 15 h in the nanosilica concrete. Calcium
hydroxide consumption had been significantly increased in the
nanosilica incorporated concrete according to thermogravimetric
results. Pozzolanic reactivity was much higher and quicker in
nanosilica added concrete up to 3% [77]. However, when the nano-
silica content increased from 3% to 6% by weight of cement, it did
not show any improvement in calcium hydroxide consumption
[79]. Nonetheless, formations of a denser with lesser amount of
calcium hydroxide crystals were possible in the interfacial transi-
tion zone by nanosilica addition [66,77–81].
3.2.2. Mechanical properties
The nanosilica incorporated concrete resulted in higher com-
pressive strength than that of normal concrete to a considerable
level [78,79,82,83]. An increase in tensile strength and bending
strength is also reported in nanosilica concrete [82,84]. Riahi
and Nazari [82] reported that the incorporation of nanosilica
into concrete improved the abrasive resistance as well as
compressive strength of the concrete. They also reported 1% by
weight of cement nanosilica as optimum for water curing and
2% for saturated lime water curing. However, the abrasive
resistance decreases with increasing w/b in nanosilica modified
concrete [84].
1074 L.P. Singh et al. / Construction and Building Materials 47 (2013) 1069–1077

3.2.3. Durability properties silica in rice husk ash concrete. They found that the performance of
Investigations of the nanosilica concrete for its permeability concrete in all respects improved a quite considerable level. It is re-
characteristics showed that the nanosilica added concrete resulted ported that the water absorption had been reduced much by the
in reduction in water absorption, capillary absorption, rate of water addition of nanosilica. Nanosilica addition in ceramic waste powder
absorption and co-efficient of water absorption and water perme- concrete increased the early age strength [95]. Nanosilica applica-
ability than normal concrete [78,80,81,83,84]. Studies of the pore tions facilitate to go for high volume replacement of waste glass
structure and permeability of the pavement concrete containing powder with cement in concrete [96].
nanoparticles resulted in refined pore structure and reduced per- Wide application of nanosilica is found in eco-concrete mix-
meability considerably. It is also reported that the addition of tures, which is primarily made with the replacement of cement
nanoparticles reduced the chloride ion penetration significantly. by waste materials. Low strength and delay in setting are the fun-
It was observed that the relationship between chloride diffusion damental problems with eco-concrete. These issues can be re-
co-efficient and compressive strength of concrete approaches solved by the use of nanosilica. Addition of nanosilica in oil well
hyperbola. It shows that resistance to chloride ion penetration is cement increases the strength and reduces the setting time
positively increasing with the compressive strength [83]. Nanosil- [8,97]. Recycled aggregate concrete with nanosilica addition
ica added concrete showed considerably lesser charges passing and showed higher compressive strength than conventional aggregate
physical penetration in rapid chloride penetration test (RCPT). concrete [98].
From mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) total porosity and
threshold pore diameter were considerably lowered. This trend
4. Evaluation of the present scenario
was observed up to the dosage of 6% of nanosilica [79]. Najigivi
et al. [85] concluded from their experiment on the size effect of
An insight of current status of the nanosilica left us with a wide
nanosilica with mechanical properties of concrete that 15 nm silica
opening for research. Because of the inter-disciplinary nature of
particles enhanced the early age strength whereas 80 nm silica
work, it opened new avenues for research as Feynman stated
particles improved the strength only at later ages. This is because
‘‘There’s plenty of room at the bottom’’ [99]. Applications of nano-
of rapid hydration at initial stages with high active surfaces in
technology is having potential to make breakthrough in materials
15 nm silica particles than 80 nm silica particles.
technology. In future it will lead to performance based materials
design for specific requirements and also materials may be engi-
3.3. Self compacting concrete with nanosilica
neered for their particular purpose of application.
Nanosilica application in concrete is a good way of enhancing the
Nanosized silica addition into the self compacting concrete
properties of concrete. Nanosilica is more advantageous than any
(SCC) resulted in reduction of bleeding and segregation with the
other nanomaterials which can be exploited in cementitious sys-
improvement in cohesion of the mix [86,87]. The flowability of
tems. 1 kg of microsilica allows for a reduction of about 4 kg of ce-
fresh SCC made up of nanosilica showed lower than normal SCC
ment and this effect can be higher if nanosilica is used [100,101].
and they were less workable [87]. Improvement in compressive
Different and contradictory optimum quantities of nanosilica have
strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength was observed
been reported by the researchers [51,52,55,59,79,82]. It is clear that
in the self compacting concrete incorporated nanosilica particles
anyone who starts working with nanosilica has to derive the opti-
[87–89]. It showed water absorption and capillary water absorp-
mum quantity for their own material. There have been various stud-
tion, also decreasing with increasing binder content. This phenom-
ies showing unusual effect of nanosilica addition. These need to be
enon was due to the denser packing of the particles present in the
addressed in the future research. The performance of nanosilica in
mix. Chloride ion penetration depth was reduced significantly with
cementitious materials is significantly depends on the morphology,
the addition of nanosilica. Electrical resistivity was much higher in
method of preparation and many other factors [70].
the case of nanosilica added SCC. Electrical resistivity was increas-
Senff et al. [45] reported the increased formation of calcium
ing with age as well as binder content [87]. Addition of nanosilica
hydroxide at early ages, but information on the mechanism and
reduced the permeability because of densified microstructure and
cause of the phenomenon is not discussed. Lim et al. [71] suggested
refined pore structure. Nanosilica also acts as kernels to the cement
optimizing the quantity of nanosilica for maximum thermal stabil-
hydration and accelerating the hydration [87,88].
ity achievement. They gave a positive effect of nanosilica addition;
in this regard, however, it may be noted that whenever the poros-
3.4. Pozzolanic concrete with nanosilica
ity of concrete is reduced, there will be a lack of passage for the
pore pressure dissipation under elevated temperatures or fire.
Li [90] investigated the behavior of high volume fly ash concrete
Therefore, the dense microstructure could be potential problem
incorporated nanosilica. He concluded that the reactivity of fly ash
for heat dissipation. Thus, further detailed investigation is required
can be increased by adding small amount (4% by wt. of binder) of
in this area. There is always a point of argument regarding the ra-
nanosilica. The early age as well as later age strength of the concrete
pid hydration of cementitious system with nanosilica addition,
can be increased with the addition of nanosilica. Moreover, nanosil-
whether it is due to its pozzolanic reaction or due to its high sur-
ica in high volume fly ash concrete showed reduction in porosity
face activity [54,97].
and pore size distribution to significant extent. The author studied
Nanotechnology application has the potential to make break-
these properties up to the span of 2 years. Zhang et al. [91,92] stud-
throughs in materials technology. It will lead to performance based
ied the behavior of high volume fly ash and slag concretes with
materials design for specific requirements. Using nanotechnology
nanosilica addition. They reported that the addition of nanosilica
in future it will be possible to design materials for their specific
reduced the length of dormant period during hydration and also
purpose of application.
accelerated the hydration. It also reduced the initial and final set-
ting time of the concrete. Nanosilica addition enhanced the com-
pressive strengths of concrete samples. Chloride ion penetration 5. Summary and conclusion
was also reduced with the addition of nanosilica into the fly ash
and slag concretes. Concrete with ground granulated blast furnace Using nanotechnology, the fundamental structure of materials
slag and nanosilica increased the splitting tensile strength and rate can be modified to enhance the bulk materials properties. Nanosil-
of hydration [93]. Najigivi et al. [94] investigated the effect of nano- ica in concrete acts as nucleation site to accelerate the hydration of
 L.P. Singh et al. / Construction and Building Materials 47 (2013) 1069–1077
cement and also filling the pores to give higher packing density
which leads to higher strength with lesser porosity. However, to
extract full benefits of nanotechnology, the future research should
address the following issues.
1. Physical state and dispersion of nanosilica into the concrete is a
major issue. Although various dispersing agents are in action,
their feasibility in field is still questionable. A thorough study
on dispersion mechanism is required.
2. The optimum quantity of nanosilica for concrete or cement
paste cannot be fixed with certain percentage. It all depends
on the type of nanosilica (colloidal, dry powder, etc.) and the
average particle size of nanosilica which can be expressed in
terms of surface area to mass ratio. In this aspect a relationship
should be established between optimum quantity and charac-
teristics of nanosilica.
3. Most of the research works have been done with cement pastes
and mortars, only a few researchers worked extensively on
mechanical properties and permeability of the nanosilica added
concrete. Other durability properties are still not been investi-
gated. Due to incorporation of the finer materials shrinkage
behavior could possibly be getting altered, which need to be
studied. Further investigations on carbonation, corrosion resis-
tance, acid resistance, sulfate resistance, etc. are to be assessed.
4. Even though researchers investigated some properties of con-
crete, they are not enough in confidence building for their use
in concrete. It is high time to carry out a complete systematic
experimental study to assess the properties of nanosilica incor-
porated concrete. Optimization, fresh, mechanical, microstruc-
tural and durability properties of concrete should be
investigated in full thrust.
5. ITZ studies are promising area to explore new things. Because
ITZ possesses different behavior from other two phases of con-
crete. It is the weakest link of the chain and therefore its nano-
mechanical properties should be established.
6. Mathematical modeling of concrete behavior is still potentially
open for extensive research. A look into this area may provide novel
outcomes which may help for better understanding of concrete.
However, no significant work on concrete has been done so far.
The development of nanosilica based high performance con-
crete will possibly help to the global community in following
terms.
 It will reduce the cement consumption for specific grade of con-
crete. The reduction in cement usage will help in protecting the
environment to a great extent.
 The high compressive strength concrete carry loads more effi-
ciently than normal-strength concrete, which also reduces the
total amount of material placed and lowers the overall cost of
the structure.
 High early strength of concrete facilitates in speedy construc-
tion. Thus, saves time, materials and money.
 High performance concrete exhibits better durability which
leads to sustainable concrete construction.
 Due to longer service life, use of high performance concrete
reduces repair and maintenance costs to a great extent.
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