Paper Title
Cellulose Nanocrystals Addition Effects On Cement Mortar Matrix Properties

Abstract
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) are known as stronger materials than steel. The process of cellulose nanocrystals production might be variant and complicated process, however, the end product of the cellulose nanocrystals offer new possibilities for endowing improvement in cementitious composites by improving the mechanical properties. This paper focus on the relationship between density and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) of the cement mortar after addition of CNC additive with the positive developments of compressive strength. The addition of CNC additives improve the formation of calcium-silicate-hydrate (CSH) gel in the cement matrix up to 0.2% of CNC concentration. Thus, this progressive formation of CSH gel in cement mortar seem to improve the strength of the cement composites up to 42-45% compared to conventional cement mortar. Index terms- Cellulose nanocrystals, Density, Ultrasonic pulse velocity, CSH gel, Strength