Mesoscale texture of cement hydrates #MMPMID26858450
Ioannidou K; Krakowiak KJ; Bauchy M; Hoover CG; Masoero E; Yip S; Ulm FJ; Levitz P; Pellenq RJM; Del Gado E
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016[Feb]; 113 (8): 2029-34 PMID26858450show ga
Calcium?silicate?hydrate (C?S?H) nanoscale gels are the main binding agent in cement and concrete, crucial for the strength and the long-term evolution of the material. Even more than the molecular structure, the C?S?H mesoscale amorphous texture over hundreds of nanometers plays a crucial role for material properties. We use a statistical physics framework for aggregating nanoparticles and numerical simulations to obtain a first, to our knowledge, quantitative model for such a complex material. The extensive comparison with experiments ranging from small-angle neutron scattering, SEM, adsorption/desorption of N2, and water to nanoindentation provides new fundamental insights into the microscopic origin of the properties measured.