The work aimed to study the impact of nano-Fe2O3 on the characteristics and durability resistance against SO42− or Cl− anions attack. Nano-Fe2O3 prepared from the heating of Fe(CH3COO)2OH at 300 °C (NFI) and 450 °C (NFII) at soaking time 2hrs. The prepared nano-Fe2O3 showed the accumulation of hematite and fine-ferrihydrite crystals having grain size of ≈10-20 nm. Physico-mechanical, chemical, microstructure, and durability were investigated. The compressive strength and chemically combined water contents increased upto 1.0 mass% nano-Fe2O3. The increase of nano-Fe2O3 upto 2%, the values of combined water contents decreased, however these values are larger than those of neat-OPC paste. The portlandite reduction of nano-Fe2O3-composite pastes prepared at 300 °C are higher than those of prepared at 450 °C. Mix having 1.0 mass% nano-Fe2O3 (NFI2) contributed the lower porosity values than specimens containing 1.5 and 2.0 mass% nano-Fe2O3 processed at 300 °C. Nano-Fe2O3 improves the durability of nano-Fe2O3-composite pastes towards SO42− or Cl− ions attack. Mixes containing 0.5–1.0% nano-Fe2O3 showed the lower values of total sulphate and total chloride contents, due to formation of a denser and finer-matrix with lower porosity, which blocked the empty pores for the diffusion of SO42− or Cl− ions, hence they showed the higher values of compressive strength and bulk density. |
