The Determination of Surface Development in Cement Pastes by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Pulsed proton NMR was used to determine the specific surface of hydrating cement pastes. The method is based on the fact that the measured proton spin-lattice relaxation rate (l/ T₁ ) of water in cement pastes is (in view of the fast exchange between water molecules in the adsorbed and bulk phase) proportional to the fraction of water molecules covering the solid surface and thus proportional to the NMR surface of the newly grown hydration products. In general, the method can be used for powders, fibrous and porous materials in contact with liquid water, or other fluids containing protons.