Publications related to Mineral hydration

Water weakening and the compressive brittle strength of carbonates: Influence of fracture toughness and static friction

Marie Estelle Solange Violay, Corentin Jean-Marie Rémi Noël, Barnaby Padraig Fryer

Water is ubiquitous within the pore space of rocks and has been shown to affect their physical and mechanical behaviour. Indeed, water can act on the rock strength via mechanical (i.e., reducing the effective stresses) or chemical effects (e.g., mineral di ...

2024

The role of Zn in C-S-H atomic structure, nucleation and growth

Anna Morales Melgares

The most promising solution towards cementitious materials with a lower carbon footprint is the partial substitution of the clinker by supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as fly ash, blast furnace slag, limestone and calcined clays. The produc ...

EPFL2023

Atomistic modeling of C-S-H: bulk and surface

Ziga Casar

By replacing part of Portland cement with so-called supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) it is possible to reduce the CO2 footprint of the cement industry. These SCMs are commonly limestone, calcined clay, slag and fly ash. While doing so the early ...

EPFL2023

Atomic-Level and Surface Structure of Calcium Silicate Hydrate Nanofoils

Karen Scrivener, Paul Bowen, Aslam Kunhi Mohamed, Ziga Casar

Deciphering the calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) surface is crucial for unraveling the mechanisms of cement hydration and property development. Experimental observations of C-S-H in cement systems suggest a surface termination which is fundamentally differ ...

AMER CHEMICAL SOC2023

Iron Reduction in Profundal Sediments of Ultraoligotrophic Lake Tahoe under Oxygen-Limited Conditions

Meret Aeppli

Increased periods of bottom water anoxia in deep temperate lakes due to decreasing frequency and depth of water column mixing in a warming climate may result in the reductive dissolution of iron minerals and increased flux of nutrients from the sediment in ...

2023

Effect of alkali, aluminium and equilibration time on calcium-silicate-hydrates

Yu Yan

Calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) is the main hydration product in Portland and blended cements, and greatly affects durability and mechanical properties of the hydrated cement. In the presence of Al-rich supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), C-(A-)S ...

EPFL2022

A long-term study on structural changes in calcium aluminate silicate hydrates

Christian Ludwig, Barbara Lothenbach, Sonya Barzgar, Yu Yan, Mohamed Tarik

Production of blended cements in which Portland cement is combined with supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) is an effective strategy for reducing the CO2 emissions during cement manufacturing and achieving sustainable concrete production. However, t ...

SPRINGER2022

Atomistic Simulation of Cementitious Systems: An Insight Into Adsorption of Ions and Small Molecules Onto Portlandite and C-S-H Surfaces

Masood Valavi

Calcium-Silicate-Hydrate (C-S-H) has been studied extensively over the last few decades to gain understanding toward the underlying mechanism of different stages during cement hydration. The variable stoichiometry and nanocrystallinity of C-S-H makes it di ...

EPFL2022

Hydration and mixture design of calcined clay blended cements: review by the RILEM TC 282-CCL

Karen Scrivener, Franco Alberto Zunino Sommariva, Mohsen Ben Haha, François Henri Avet, Anuj Parashar, Yuvaraj Dhandapani, Sreejith Krishnan

The RILEM technical committee 282-CCL: Calcined Clays as Supplementary Cementitious Materials, investigates all the aspects related to calcined clays, from clay exploration and characterization to calcination process, hydration reactions and concrete prope ...

SPRINGER2022

Reactive dicalcium silicate binders: Microstructure and transport properties

Adrian-Alexandru Pîrvan

The calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H) are without doubt one of the most important hydration products in a hardened cement paste. Giving the complexity of the microstructure that forms by hydration of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and the more recently use ...

EPFL2022

Microstructural developments of limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) pastes after long-term (3 years) hydration

Karen Scrivener, Franco Alberto Zunino Sommariva

LC3 is one of the most promising alternatives for a high-performance blended cement with a significantly lower clinker content and with potential for worldwide adoption. For this reason, understanding its long-term performance is relevant to ensure service ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2022

Alite-ye'elimite clinker: Hydration kinetics, products and microstructure

Karen Scrivener, Ruben Anton Snellings, Xuerun Li

This paper presents the hydration kinetics, products and microstructure of an alite-ye'elimite clinker containing 4 wt% of ye'elimite to boost the early strength development. Isothermal calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, backscattered scanning electron micros ...

ELSEVIER SCI LTD2021

The effect of alkali hydroxides and equilibration time on Al uptake by calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H)

Sonya Barzgar

Cement production accounts for approximately 8% of man-made CO2 emissions. Lowering these CO2 emissions is currently one of the most important and urgent research topics within the cement community. To reduce these emissions, the Portland cement (PC) is pa ...

EPFL2021

Impact of limestone fineness on cement hydration at early age

Karen Scrivener, Mohsen Ben Haha, Yosra Briki

This study compares the influence of two limestone fineness on strength development and cement hydration. The replacement of clinker by 20% of fine limestone (d(v,50) = 2 mu m and SSA = 4,21 m(2)/g) gives similar strength development to PC up to 7 days. Fi ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2021

Multi-scale investigation on mechanical behavior and microstructural alteration of C-S-H in carbonated Alite paste

Karen Scrivener

Carbonation treatment is a promising option to enhance recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) quality and eventually improve concrete performance. This study investigated the multi-scale mechanical properties of calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H) in a mature ali ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2021

Inorganic and Metal-Organic Heterogeneous Catalysts for Hydrogen Energy Applications

Fatma Pelin Uran

The main focus of this thesis is the exploration of inorganic and metal-organic heterogeneous catalysts for hydrogen (H2) energy applications. In particular, we investigated metal nanoparticles (NPs) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for their employment ...

EPFL2021

Factors affecting the reactivity of slag at early and late ages

Karen Scrivener, Mohsen Ben Haha, Yosra Briki

This study investigates the difference between the reactivity of slag in NaOH solution (w/s = 100) and in cement paste (w/b = 0.4). The reactivity of slag is much higher in NaOH solution than in cement paste. When the NaOH solution is saturated with portla ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2021

Stability of hydrate assemblages and properties of cementitious systems with higher alumina content

Natechanok Chitvoranund

Two low CO2 cement systems are investigated: one made with the use of supplementary cementitious materi-als (SCMs) (metakaolin and limestone) and the other an alternative binder, calcium sulfoaluminate cement (CSA). These two low CO2 cements contain a simi ...

EPFL2021

Strength-promoting mechanism of alkanolamines on limestone-calcined clay cement and the role of sulfate

Karen Scrivener, François Henri Avet, Xuerun Li, Wilasinee Hanpongpun, Hong Huang

This paper reports the strength-promoting mechanism of alkanolamines on limestone-calcined clay cement (LC3). The hydration kinetics, phase formation and microstructure of LC3 with triethanolamine (TEA) or triisopropanolamine (TIPA) were investigated. TEA ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2021

Effect of a novel starch-based temperature rise inhibitor on cement hydration and microstructure development

Karen Scrivener, Alexandre Reda Constantin William Caleb Ouzia, Cheng Yu, Yu Yan

This study investigates the mechanism by which a novel starch-based admixture named Temperature Rise Inhibitor (TRI) modifying cement hydration and limiting heat evolution. This admixture is designed to avoid thermal cracking of concrete. Depending on the ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2020