The effect of CuO addition on the phase composition of clinker and the Cu incorporation into the structure of clinker phases was monitored under laboratory conditions. Separate synthesized CuO-doped clinker phases as well as clinkers with different CuO content up to 4 wt.% were characterized by XRD, optical and electron microscopy with EDS analysis. It has been found that Cu tends to form a separate phase or a double oxide with Ca and incorporates in the clinker phases to a limited extent, except for C4 AF. With increasing CuO content in clinker, its phase composition changes, and the size of alite crystals increases.
Keywords: SEM-EDS; XRD; clinker phases; copper; microstructure; phase composition.
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