Graphene stabilized loess: Mechanical properties, microstructural evolution and life cycle assessment

More attention has been paid to graphene as an emerging stabilizer due to its advanced mechanical properties. The aim of this work investigates the stabilizing and environmental performance of graphene as a loess stabilizer towards a cleaner treatment. The unconfined compression strength of samples with different graphene contents was measured, indicating that graphene significantly enhanced the strength of the loess. A series of micro-structural techniques were used to explore the microstructure and thus explain the variation in mechanical properties of samples with different graphene content. The results show that the addition of graphene does not chemically react with the loess to produce new substances, but mainly produces physical stabilization of the loess structure. As the graphene content increases, the pore area in the sample decreases and the inter-aggregate pores tend to flatten out, which have a positive correlation with the increase in sample strength. This study also compares the results of graphene production by electrochemical exfoliation and chemical oxidation and found that graphene produced by chemical oxidation showed significant advantages in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and cumulative energy demand.