Mechanical Properties, Microstructure, and Mechanism of Nanosilica-Modified Low-Carbon Magnesium Silicate Hydrate Cement
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 36, Issue 11
Abstract
The slow formation of magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H) results in insufficient early strength of M-S-H cement, restricting its wide application. In this study, nanosilica (NS) was applied to modify the performance of M-S-H cement. The influence of NS on the mechanical performance and microstructure was investigated through compressive strength measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD), derivative thermogravimetry (TG-DTG), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). Subsequently, the hydration mechanism of the M-S-H cement was illustrated after adding NS. The results showed that NS could effectively improve the early strength of M-S-H cement. The compressive strength after 3 days of reaction increased by 59.8%, 130.7%, and 25.7% for 1.5%, 3.0%, and 4.5% NS addition, respectively. After curing for 28 days, the addition of 1.5% NS resulted in a 25.7% increase in compressive strength, whereas the enhancements for samples with 3.0% and 4.5% NS were minimal. NS quickly dissolved to form , , and , accelerating the formation of M-S-H and resulting in a higher early compressive strength of the sample. In this study, the novel concept of the addition of NS to M-S-H cement was proposed, which has significant value for the wider application of M-S-H cement in civil engineering.
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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 are thankful for the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52078453) and the Key R&D Program of Zhejiang (2022C04025).
Author contributions: Dawang Dai: conceptualization, methodology, software, formal analysis, investigation, date curation, writing–original draft, writing–review and editing, and visualization; Zhejie Lai: writing–review and editing; Haiying Yu: writing–review and editing; Tao Meng: conceptualization, methodology, supervision, writing–review and editing, and funding acquisition; Qinglei Xu: writing–review and editing; Jiabin Li: review and editing; Brecht Vandevyvere: review and editing; and Haiqiang Shen: review and editing.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 36 • Issue 11 • November 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 16, 2023
Accepted: Apr 10, 2024
Published online: Aug 30, 2024
Published in print: Nov 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Jan 30, 2025
ASCE Technical Topics:
- [Inorganic compounds]
- Cement
- Chemical compounds
- Chemical elements
- Chemicals
- Chemistry
- Compressive strength
- Concrete
- Engineering materials (by type)
- Engineering mechanics
- Environmental engineering
- Hydration
- Laminating
- Magnesium
- Material mechanics
- Material properties
- Materials characterization
- Materials engineering
- Materials processing
- Microstructure
- Nanomechanics
- Organic compounds
- Organic compounds
- Pollutants
- Silica
- Strength of materials
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