Engineering Commons^™

Mechanism Of Tricalcium Silicate Hydration In The Presence Of Polycarboxylate Polymers, Rachel Cook, Hongyan Ma, Aditya Kumar

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Abstract: The early-age hydration of cement is inhibited in the presence of comb-shaped polycarboxylate ether (PCE) polymer -- a dispersant commonly added to control rheological properties of fresh cement paste. This study employs a series of microcalorimetry experiments and phase boundary nucleation and growth simulations to elucidate the effects of dosage and molecular architecture of PCE on hydration of tricalcium silicate (Ca₃SiO₅ or C₃S in cement notation), the dominant phase in cement. Results show that PCE -- regardless of its molecular architecture -- suppresses early-age hydration of C₃S. PCE-induced retardation becomes increasingly more …