Effect of Solvent Composition on Calcium–Silicon Ratio, Particle Size, and Morphology of C─ S─ H Nanomaterials and Cement Properties
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35, Issue 2
Abstract
Synthesized nanocalcium-silicate-hydrate (C─ S─ H) was successfully employed as an accelerator in portland cement. C─ S─ H nanomaterials were produced in this study utilizing a process that used separate nucleation and growth steps with varied solvent compositions. The effects of the water/alcohol volume ratio (W/A) in the combined solvent on the calcium silicon ratio, particle size, morphology of C─ S─ H nanomaterials, and compressive strength of portland cement were studied. The results reveal that when the W/A ratio decreased, the calcium to silicon (Ca/Si) molar ratio reduced, and the morphology of the C─ S─ H nanomaterials turned from micalike to mixed lamellar and granular, then to granular with a wrinkled surface, and finally to foillike. When the W/A was , the small particles (100 nm) of C─ S─ H nanomaterials had the highest W/A, whereas the large particles () had the highest W/A. C─ S─ H nanomaterials offered calcium silicate hydrate nucleation sites, altered C─ S─ H gel development modes, and enhanced the number of hydration products. The composition, particle size, and shape of C─ S─ H nanomaterials all influenced the compressive strength of the cement paste.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully thank the financial support from the Henan Province Natural Science Foundation (202300410173) and the Henan Province Fundamental Research Funds for Universities (NSFRF200325 and B2019-39).
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35 • Issue 2 • February 2023
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 24, 2022
Accepted: May 17, 2022
Published online: Nov 30, 2022
Published in print: Feb 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Apr 30, 2023
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