- Author
- Bentz, D. P.
- Title
- Lithium, Potassium and Sodium Additions to Cement Pastes.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Journal
- Adances in Cement Research, Vol. 18, No. 2, 65-70, 2006
- Keywords
- cement pastes | lithium | potassium | sodium | additives | hydration | calorimetry | ignition measurements | low temperature | alkalis
- Identifiers
- mixture proportions of the cement pastes prepared in the current study; loss-on-ignition; measured degrees of hydration (via LOI) for each mixture as a function of time; ionic radii for various cations of relevance to this study
- Abstract
- In the present study the influence of three alkali cations, namely lithium, potassium and sodium, on the hydration rates and the developing capillary pore structures of hydrating cement pastes was investigated. A quantitative examination of these effects was obtained by applying a set of experimental techniques that included isothermal calorimetry, loss-on-ignition measurements and low temperature calorimetry. Low temperature calorimetry was used specifically to assess the percolation (connectivity) of pore networks with various size entryways. Differences amongst the influences of the alkalis are highlighted and discussed in terms of their intrinsic atomic characteristics.