A nanomaterial based admixture improves the fire retardancy of foam-based GFRC material to a minimum of 3 hours, creating Nano GFRC. A dispersion of nanoclay in water is prepared by heating water to 80-90 ° C., adding the desired amount of nanoclay and stirring with a
magnetic stirrer for 30-45 minutes, producing a stable and uniform dispersion. Concrete is made by mixing sand, acryl, water, nanoclay solution, and
cement in a bucket, adding enough
water reducer to thin the mixture enough to stir, adding fibers, and mixing the composite using a rotor for about 10 minutes.
Polystyrene foam is sandwiched with the prepared mixture on all sides to make the concrete. This resulting concrete is lightweight and strong, reduces CO and CO2 emissions by a factor of three compared to standard GFRC, and shows dramatic improvement in
fire retardant properties.