The work aimed to study the impact of nano-Fe2O3 on the characteristics and durability resistance
against SO4
2 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 SO4
2 or Cl ions attack. Mixes containing 0.5–1.0% nanoFe2O3 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 SO4
2 or Cl ions,
hence they showed the higher values of compressive strength and bulk density