Selection of our books indexed in the Book Citation Index in Web of Science™ Core Collection (bkci)

Keywords: cement system, nano-additives, hydration, hardening, structure, strength
1. Introduction
The scientific substantiation of the principles of structure management at 
the nanoscale level is the key point in the development of high-performance and 
ultra-high-performance concrete [1, 2]. It is the class of materials, which includes 
the nanostructured elements as part of their structure. Moreover, to regulate their 
structure and properties, it seems logical to use nanoscale various types of particles. 
Nowadays, the problems of synthesis and construction of high-performance and 
ultra-high-performance concrete structures in building technologies more actively 
rely on nano-concepts and nano-approaches. It is relevant to identify the potential 
possibilities and limitations of the application of nanotechnological approaches in 
solving specific problems of the technology of building materials.
2. Theoretical framework
While applying the technologies of building materials and stages of transitions 
in the processes of forming the structures of their solid-phase state, it is neces-
sary to keep in mind hydration (lime, gypsum, cement), hydrothermal-synthesis 
(silicate autoclave) hardening systems, and thermal-synthesis (ceramics, glass) 
composites (Table 1) [1].
The fixed assets of the “nano tool,” implemented in construction material 
technologies, include the influence and effect of “top-down” and “bottom-up” 
nanotechnological approaches.

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Strength of Materials
2
The “nano” “top-down” approach is based on the use of the phenomenon of 
changes in the energy state of the structure and, accordingly, the physical and/or 
physicochemical activity of surface and internal volumes of particles of a solid as 
they are crushed by mechanical or physical methods.
The effectiveness of the principle is determined not only by the nano- and 
micro-size of particles but also by the measure of the amorphization of their surface 
volumes. Amorphization is expressed in the “saturation” of volumes with structural 
defects of the nano-size range. The principle is the basis of the mechanochemi-
cal activation of the components of raw mixtures in the technologies of building 
materials.
The “nano” “bottom-up” principle is based on the management of condensa-
tion phenomena in the evolutionary route of the formation of a solid-phase state of 
a substance in hydration, hydrothermal-synthesis, and thermal-synthesis harden-
ing systems. The effectiveness of the principle is determined by the possibilities of 
influencing the development of stages, transitions, selections in the evolutionary 
route, and, in general, the kinetics of heterogeneous processes of hydration, col-
loidation, and crystallization in systems (mixtures) of basic and acid oxides upon 
receipt of building materials.
“Nano tool,” based on “top-down” principles, includes mechanochemical activa-
tion of the substance during the dispersion of the initial components of the raw 
mixes, physical and chemical activations during the high-temperature processing 
of the mixture components, compulsory compaction of particles of components of 
a mixture, etc. “Nano tool,” implemented in the principles of “bottom-up,” includes 
the means of controlling the solubility of components and the degree of saturation 
of the system with cations and anions; methods of changing the rate of condensa-
tion and crystallization through thermal or other physical effects; methods of 
changing the spatial and geometric environment in the system by introducing 
additives of nano-modifiers, for example, nanoparticles with both related and non-
related crystal-chemical structure of the synthesized compounds; and techniques 
for changing the state of the surface of solid particles when using additives of 
surface-active substances, etc.