Hydration of Cement in the Presence of Biocidal Modifiers Based on Metal Hydrosilicates

Materials (Basel). 2021 Dec 31;15(1):292. doi: 10.3390/ma15010292.

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study of the characteristics of hydration and properties of a composite biocidal cement binder containing hydrosilicates of barium, copper or zinc. It was found that copper hydrosilicates block hydration processes, and when zinc hydrosilicates are used, the rate of hydration is determined by the content of silicic acid. The limiting concentrations of biocidal modifiers have been established: zinc hydrosilicates-no more than 4% and copper hydrosilicates-no more than 0.5%, which are advisable to use for the manufacture of a biocidal composite binder. It is shown that modifying additives slow down the setting time, the amount of tricalcium silicate in cement stones increases, and their strength for some compositions decreases. Active binding of portlandite with the formation of calcium hydrosilicates occurs when the content of zinc hydrosilicates is 2%, which leads to an increase in the strength of the materials.

Keywords: IR spectroscopy; barium hydrosilicates; composite cement binder; copper hydrosilicates; differential thermal analysis; hydration; setting time; strength; zinc hydrosilicates.