Published Paper Details:

The construction industry heavily relies on concrete material which provides durable performance but deals with three crucial drawbacks of micro-cracking and brittleness alongside environmental sustainability issues. Researchers explore the addition of Micro-Fibrillated Cellulose (MFC) which stems from plant fibers as a nanomaterial for reinforced concrete to boost mechanical performance along with sustainability. MFC shows excellent bonding properties along with high surface area which leads to better strength levels and toughness and enhanced durability performance. The research investigates MFC concentrations from 0% to 0.5% and 1% and 1.5% and 2% to determine optimal performance levels. Experimental testing encompassing compressive strength and flexural strength testing as well as toughness evaluation and durability assessment and microstructural analysis through SEM occurred at ages of 7, 14, 28, 56, 90, and 180 days. The combination of 1.5% MFC created the optimal reinforcement effects resulting in a 40% increase of flexural strength reaching 6.3MPa alongside a 62.5% growth of toughness reaching 195kN-mm at 180 days. The maximum compressive strength of 40.4MPa occurred with 1.5% MFC and water absorption decreased to 3.8% while chloride penetration fell to 700 Coulombs. Results indicate that MFC proves as an effective sustainable material because it delivers promising characteristics to enhance mechanical properties and durability for high-performance concrete applications. The analysis delivers new sustainable construction materials which demonstrate better resistance to damage.