Nanomaterial, as a new emerging material in the field of civil engineering, has been widely utilized to enhance the mechanical properties of cementitious material. Nano-SnO2 has presented high hardness characteristics, but there is little study of the application of nano-SnO2 in the cementitious materials. This study mainly investigated the hydration characteristics and strength development of Portland cement paste incorporating nano-SnO2 powders with 0%, 0.08%, and 0.20% dosage. It was found that the early-age compressive strength of cement paste could be greatly improved when nano-SnO2 was incorporated with 0.08% dosage. The hydration process and microstructure were then measured by hydraulic test machine, calorimeter, nanoindentation, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and mercury intrusion porosimetry. It was found that the cement hydration process was promoted by the addition of nano-SnO2, and the total amount of heat released from cement hydration is also increased. In addition, the addition of nano-SnO2 can promote the generations of high density C-S-H and reduce the generations of low density C-S-H indicating the nucleation effect of nano-SnO2 in the crystal growth process. The porosity and probable pore diameter of cement paste with 0.08% nano-SnO2 were decreased, and the scanning electron microscopic results also show that the cement paste with 0.08% nano-SnO2 promotes the densification of cement microstructure, which are consistent with the strength performance.
