Performance of multiwalled carbon nanotube doped fly ash based clay bricks

Abstract

The major goal of this research is to propose an energy-efficient process to produce economical bricks in a very short amount of time. These bricks were prepared by baking cylindrical clay specimens in a muffle furnace at 900 degrees Celsius for 6 hours. The clay specimens were reinforced with fly ash and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). The influence of MWCNT in various proportions such as 0.1 %, 0.01 %, 0.001% of water by weight, was observed with a high clay replacement ratio (10 %, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%) on various properties of bricks. Soil, fly ash, and MWCNT used in the study were characterized using microscopic techniques such as x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The findings demonstrate that adding up to 50% (by weight) fly ash along with MWCNT (0.1 %, 0.01 %, 0.001% of water by weight) to normal cylindrical clay bricks can improve their characteristics when baked at 900 degrees Celsius for 6 hours in a muffle furnace. The combination of clay, fly ash, and MWCNT performed remarkably well in laboratory testing due to its efficient void filling capacity and pozzolanic nature. These bricks have a higher compressive strength, less water absorbent, are structurally homogeneous, sound, and less harmful to the environment. The effective use of fly ash addition is not only beneficial to the protection of natural clay resources, but it is also a viable option for challenging and expensive waste disposal issues.