Journal article
Distinctive microstructural features of aged sodium silicate-activated slag concretes
R San Nicolas, SA Bernal, R Mejía De Gutiérrez, JSJ Van Deventer, JL Provis
Cement and Concrete Research | Published : 2014
Abstract
Electron microscopic characterisation of 7-year old alkali-activated blast-furnace slag concretes enabled the identification of distinct microstructural features, providing insight into the mechanisms by which these materials evolve over time. Backscattered electron images show the formation of Liesegang-type ring formations, suggesting that the reaction at advanced age is likely to follow an Oswald supersaturation-nucleation-depletion cycle. Segregation of Ca-rich veins, related to the formation of Ca(OH)2, is observed in microcracked regions due to the ongoing reaction between the pore solution and available calcium from remnant slag grains. A highly dense and uniform interfacial transitio..
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Awarded by European Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
This study was sponsored by the Australian Research Council (ARC) (LP0991550) through a linkage grant between the University of Melbourne and Zeobond Pty Ltd., including partial funding through the Particulate Fluids Processing Centre, a Special Research Centre of the ARC. The participation of J.L. Provis and S.A. Bernal was supported by funding from the European Research Council, Starting Grant #335928 (GeopolyConc), and from the University of Sheffield. R. Mejia de Gutierrez was funded by Universidad del Valle (Colombia), Colciencias and the Centre of Excellence for Novel Materials. We also thank an anonymous reviewer for some very insightful comments on the manuscript, which have notably improved the paper.