Impact of KOH on the interfacial precipitation rates of C-S-H during the early hydration of C3S

In this work we investigated the influence of alkalis on the hydration of two triclinic samples of C3S. One pure C3S and one Al-doped C3S (0.5 wt.-% Al2O3). We added differently concentrated KOH solutions representing alkalis in the pore solution, which lead to an increase of the interfacial precipitation rates of C-S-H during the hydration of C3S compared to the hydration without KOH. Isothermal calorimetry was conducted for the determination of the rates of reaction during the hydration process and ICP-OES measurements for the determination of the pore solution composition at certain times of hydration. The increasing effect of KOH solution on the calculated interfacial precipitation rates from pore solution data can explain the enhancement of the rates of reaction recorded by heat flow calorimetry during the early hydration. Therefore, the interfacial precipitation rates of C-S-H can accurately describe the acceleration effect of alkalis on the early hydration of C3S.

Automated summary

The study found that adding potassium hydroxide (KOH) solutions of different concentrations accelerates the hydration process of C3S, leading to an increase in the interfacial precipitation rate of C-S-H. By using isothermal calorimetry and ICP-OES measurements, it was determined that KOH solutions have an enhancing effect on the early hydration reaction rates of C3S.