Analysis of the surface of tricalcium silicate during the induction period by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
- Institute for Building Materials Science, Bauhaus University Weimar, 99423 Weimar (Germany)
- Ecole des Mines de Douai, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, 941 rue Charles Bourseul, BP 10838, 59508 Doua cedex (France)
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy allows the analysis of surface layers with a thickness of a few nanometers. The method is sensitive to the chemical environment of the atoms since the binding energy of the electrons depends on the chemical bonds to neighboring atoms. It has been applied to the hydration of tricalcium silicate (Ca{sub 3}SiO{sub 5}, C{sub 3}S) by analyzing a sample after 30 min of hydration. Also two references have been investigated namely anhydrous C{sub 3}S and intermediate phase in order to enable a quantitative evaluation of the experimental data. In the hydrated C{sub 3}S sample, the analyzed volume (0.2 mm{sup 2} surface by 13 nm depth) contained approximately 44 wt.% of C{sub 3}S and 56 wt.% of intermediate phase whereas C-S-H was not detected. Scanning Electron Microscopy data and geometric considerations indicate that the intermediate phase forms a thin layer having a thickness of approximately 2 nm and covers the complete surface instead of forming isolated clusters.
- OSTI ID:
- 22149360
- Journal Information:
- Cement and Concrete Research, Vol. 42, Issue 9; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2012 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0008-8846
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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