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Microstructural Evolution Mechanism of C-(A)-S-H Gel in Portland Cement Pastes Affected by Sulfate Ions

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Abstract

The microstructural evolution of C-(A)-S-H gel in Portland cement pastes immersed in pure water and 5.0 wt% Na2SO4 solution for different ages was comparatively investigated, by means of 29Si NMR spectroscopy, and SEM-EDS analysis. Additionally, molecular dynamics simulation was performed to study the aluminum coordination status and interaction of sulfate ions in C-(A)-S-H gel. The results showed significant changes in the microstructural evolution of C-(A)-S-H gel in Portland cement paste. Sulfate attack has decalcifying and dealuminizing effect on C-(A)-S-H gel which is evident from increase in mean chain length (MCL) and decrease in Ca/Si & Al[4]/Si ratios of C-(A)-S-H gel. Additionally, Molecular dynamics simulation proves that Al[4] substituted in silicate chains of C-(A)-S-H gel is thermodynamically metastable, which may explain its migration from the silicate chains and transformation to Al[6], thus lowering the Al[4]/Si ratio of C-(A)-S-H gel. SO42- ions can carry the interfacial Ca2+ ions into the pore solution by the diffusion-absorption-desorption process, which unravels the mechanism of sulfate attack on C-(A)-S-H gel.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Building Materials Key Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei, 230022, China

    Gaozhan Zhang  (张高展), Xiaojia Zhang & Kaiwei Liu

  2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China

    Qingjun Ding  (丁庆军)

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, Qingdao Technological University, Qingdao, 266033, China

    Dongshuai Hou

Authors
  1. Gaozhan Zhang  (张高展)
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  2. Xiaojia Zhang
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  3. Qingjun Ding  (丁庆军)
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  4. Dongshuai Hou
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  5. Kaiwei Liu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qingjun Ding  (丁庆军).

Additional information

Funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos.51778513, 51578004, 51608004), the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (“973”Program) (No. 2015CB655101)

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Zhang, G., Zhang, X., Ding, Q. et al. Microstructural Evolution Mechanism of C-(A)-S-H Gel in Portland Cement Pastes Affected by Sulfate Ions. J. Wuhan Univ. Technol.-Mat. Sci. Edit. 33, 639–647 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11595-018-1872-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11595-018-1872-2

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