Highly Reactive β-Dicalcium Silicate

Calcium silicate hydrate was prepared by hydrothermal reaction between calcium oxide and silica (C/S = 2.0) at a temperature of 205°–215°C and a pressure of 17–19 bar. This reaction with decomposition at 900°C produced highly reactive β-dicalcium silicate (specific surface area 4.55 m²/g) contaminated with small amounts of wollastonite as an impurity. Infrared spectral studies have shown that β-dicalcium silicate prepared at 900°C is less symmetric compared with the control prepared at 1450°C using boron trioxide as a stabilizer. The specific surface area of β-dicalcium silicate decreased with temperature. The hydration studies were done by determining the nonevaporable water, calcium hydroxide (CH) contents, and specific surface area of the hydrated samples. X-ray diffraction studies were also done. The results showed that prepared β-dicalcium silicate is highly reactive. Calcium chloride (1.0 wt%) and gypsum retard the hydration. Possible causes of high reactivity have been discussed.     

Highly Reactive β-Dicalcium Silicate: I, Hydration Behavior at Room Temperature

The hydration behavior at 25°C of β-dicalcium silicate synthesized from hillebrandite (Ca₂,(SiO₃)(OH)₂) at 600°C was studied over a period of 224 d. The hydration rate of the β-dicalcium silicate having fibrous crystals with specific surface area of 7 m²/g is extremely rapid. For water/solids ratios of 0.5 and 1.0, the hydration reaction is completed in 28 and 14 d, respectively. The hydrate contains almost no Ca(OH)₂, and its Ca/Si ratio is close to 2. SEM observations indicate that the hydrate forms an outer shell on the surface of β-dicalcium silicate and grows inwards. The silicate anion structure is considered to consist of dimers and single-chain structures from ²⁹Si MAS NMR. Variations of physical properties of press-formed bodies have also been discussed.     

Highly Reactive β-Dicalcium Silicate: IV, Ball-Milling and Static Hydration at Room Temperature

The ball-milling hydration of highly reactive β-Ca₂SiO₄ synthesized from hillebrandite, Ca₂(SiO₃)(OH)₂, was investigated and compared with its static hydration under a water/solid ratio of 10. In static hydration, the hydration is completed in 8 d to yield C-S-H with a Ca/Si ratio of 1.81 and Ca(OH)₂. There is no major change after this period. In the case of ball milling, the hydration is completed in 2 d to yield C-S-H with Ca/Si = 1.81 and Ca(OH)₂. After this, the two products react to form a C-S-H(II)-like monophase hydrate having a Ca/Si ratio of 1.98. The morphology and structure of this hydrate are different from those of the earlier hydrate, and afwillite is not formed. ²⁹Si MAS NMR measurements indicated the C-S-H to be a mixture of dimers and single-chain structures. Dimeric species are the main species up to completion of the reaction, but polymerization progresses very rapidly after the completion.     

Highly Reactive β-Dicalcium Silicate: III, Hydration Behavior at 40–80°C

The effect of curing temperature (40°, 60°, 80°C) on the hydration behavior of β-dicalcium silicate (β-C₂S) was investigated. The β-C₂S was obtained by decomposition of hillebrandite, Ca₂(SiO₃)(OH)₂, at 600°C, has a specific surface area of about 7 m²/g, and is in the form of fibrous crystals. The dependence of the hydration reaction on temperature continues until the reaction is completed. The hydration is completed in 1 day at 80°C and in 14 days at 14°C. The hydration mechanism is different above and below 60°C, but at a given temperature, the reaction mechanism and the silicate anion structures of C-S-H do not change significantly from the initial to the late stages of the reaction. High curing temperature and long curing times after completion of reaction promote silicate polymerization. The Ca/Si ratio of C-S-H shows high values, being almost 2.0 above 60°C and 1.95 below 40°C.     

Characterization of C-S-H from Highly Reactive β-Dicalcium Silicate Prepared from Hillebrandite

β-dicalcium silicate synthesized by thermal dissociation of hydrothermally prepared hillebrandite (Ca₂(SiO₃)(OH)₂) exhibits extremely high hydration activity. Characterization of the hydrates obtained and investigation of the hydration mechanism was carried out with the aid of trimethylsilylation analysis, ²⁹Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance, transmission electron microscopy selected area electron diffraction, and XRD. The silicate anion structure of C-S-H consisted mainly of a dimer and a single-chain polymer. Polymerization advances with increasing curing temperature and curing time. The C-S-H has an oriented fibrous structure and exhibits a 0.73-nm dreierketten in the longitudinal direction. On heating, the C-S-H dissociates to form β-C₂S. The temperature at which βC₂S begins to form decreases with increasing chain length of the C-S-H or as the Ca/Si ratio becomes higher. The high activity of β-C₂S is due to its large specific surface area and the fact that the hydration is chemical-reaction-rate-controlled until its completion. As a result, the hydration progresses in situ and C-S-H with a high Ca/Si ratio is formed.     

Rate and Mechanism of Hydration of β-Dicalcium Silicate

The hydration of β-dicalcium silicate was followed at a fixed w/c ratio of 0.45 and at 10° to 40°C by analyzing the liquid phase in the paste, by determining free lime and combined water, and by electron microscopy. The reaction proceeded from the induction period through a propagative surface nucleation-growth of the CSH stage and an Overall penetration reaction Sw; the kinetics of these stages are discussed.     

Influence of Minor Ions on the Stability and Hydration Rates of β-Dicalcium Silicate

The effects of Al³⁺, B³⁺, P⁵⁺, Fe³⁺, S⁶⁺, and K⁺ ions on the stability of the β-phase and its hydration rate were studied in reactive dicalcium silicate (C₂S, Ca₂SiO₄) synthesized using the Pechini process. In particular, the dependences of the phase stability and degree of hydration on the calcination temperature (i.e., particle size) and the concentration of the stabilizing ions were investigated. The phase evolution in doped C₂S was determined using XRD, and the degree of hydration was estimated by the peak intensity ratio of the hydrates to the nonhydrates in ²⁹Si MAS NMR spectra. The stabilizing ability of the ions varied significantly, and the B³⁺ ions were quite effective in stabilizing the β-phase over a wide range of doping concentrations. The hydration results indicated that differently stabilized β-C₂S hydrated at different rates, and Al³⁺- and B³⁺-doped C₂S exhibited increased degree of hydration for all doping concentration ranges investigated. The effect of the doping concentration on degree of hydration was strongly dependent on the stabilizing ions.     

Highly Reactive β-Dicalcium Silicate: II, Hydration Behavior at 25°C Followed by 29Si Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

The hydration behavior at 25°C of highly reactive β-dicalcium silicate synthesized from hillebrandite (Ca₂(SiO₃)(OH)₂) was studied over a period of 7 to 224 d using ²⁹Si magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR). The hydration product, C-S-H, contains Q² and Q¹ silicate tetrahedra, the chemical shifts of which are independent of the water/solid (w/s) ratio and curing time. Until the reaction is completed, the amounts of Q¹ and Q² formed are independent of the w/s ratio, being determined only by the degree of reaction. The ratio Q²/Q¹ increases as the reaction progresses and as the curing time becomes longer. From the values of Q²/Q¹, it appears that the hydrate is a mixture of dimers and short single-chain polymers. The Ca/Si ratio of the hydrate is high, taking values close to 2.0, but the Ca/Si ratio does not influence the Q²/Q¹ ratio. It was also found that the NMR peak intensities allow quantitative assessment similar to XRD.     

α-Dicalcium Silicate Hydrate: Preparation, Decomposed Phase, and Its Hydration

α-C₂SH can be synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of lime and silicic acid for 2 h at 200°C. When heated to 390–490°C, α-C₂SH dissociates through a two-step process to form an intermediate phase plus some γ-C₂S. This appears to be a new dicalcium silicate different from known dicalcium silicates—α, α'_L, α'_H, β, and γ phase—and is stable until around 900°C. At 920–960°C, all the phases are transformed to the α'_L phase. The intermediate phase has high crystallinity and is stable at room temperature. ²⁹ Si MAS NMR measurements indicate the possibility that it contains both protonated and unprotonated monosilicate anions. The intermediate phase that has passed through the α'phase at higher temperature yields β-C₂S on cooling. The intermediate phase is highly active, and completed its hydration in 1 day ( w/s = 1.0, 25°C). Among the crystalline calcium silicate hydrates with Ca/Si = 2.0, it is hillebrandite that yields β-C₂S at the lowest temperature.     

Composition of Solutions in Contact with Hydrating β-Dicalcium Silicate

The concentration of ionic species in the solution in contact with hydrating dicalcium silicate (C₂S) has been studied as a function of time and in the presence of admixtures. The ionic product for calcium hydroxide increases quite slowly and saturation levels are not greatly exceeded at any time. Small quantities of C₃S control the ionic concentrations and cause considerable super-saturation with respect to calcium hydroxide. The implications of the present data with respect to C₂S hydration are discussed.     

Analytical Electron Microscopy of Cement Pastes: IV, β-Dicalcium Silicate Pastes

Analyses of 225 particles of C-S-H in ground and redispersed pastes of β-Ca₂SiO₄ hydrated for 7 days to 22 years gave a mean Ca/Si ratio of 1.38 with a range of 1.1 to 1.6. The mean Ca/Si ratio is substantially constant over the period studied and is lower than that of 1.52 found by the same method for Ca₃SiO₅ pastes.     

Hydration of Sodium β- and β'-Aluminas

The enthalpy and entropy for the hydration of sodium β - and β '-aluminas have been determined by measuring the infrared absorbance of single-crystal samples following equilibration at elevated temperatures in water vapor pressures ranging from 3 to 70 kPa. The equilibrium water concentrations can be varied continuously and reversibly up to saturation concentrations of about 0.9H₂O-Na_1.2AI₁₁O_17.1 for the β-phase and 0.4H₂O.Na_1.67Mg_.67Al_10.33O₁₇ for the β'-phase. The hydration reactions are exothermic; Δ H =−56 ± 2 for sodium β '-aIumina and ΔH =−67 ± 2 kJ/mol for sodium β-alumina. The entropies of hydration are about −143 ± 6 J/(mol-K) for both sodium β - and β '-aIuminas.     

Physical Stabilization of the β→γ Transformation in Dicalcium Silicate

It has been shown that the monoclinic β -phase of dicalcium silicate (Ca₂SiO₄) can be stabilized against transformation to the orthorhombic γ -phase by physical rather than chemical factors. Stabilization was studied in different types of microstructures fabricated under various processing conditions such as different powder or grain sizes, chemical additives, cooling kinetics, or high-temperature annealing treatments. The observations can be explained in terms of a critical particle size effect controlling nucleation of the transformation. Rapid quenching through the high-temperature hexagonal ( α ) to orthorhombic ( a' _H) transformation at 1425°C, which is accompanied by a −4.7% volume decrease, causes periodic fracture of β -twins due to accumulated strains. Chemical doping with K₂O or Al₂O₃ promotes the formation of amorphous phases which mold themselves around β -Ca₂SiO₄ grains. Annealing treatments cause crystallization of the glass and subsequent transformation to the γ -phase.     

Preparation of Larnthanum β-Alumina with High Surface Area by Coprecipitation

Mixtures of La₂O₃ and Al₂O₃ with various La contents were prepared by co-precipitation from La(NO₃)₃ and Al(NO₃)₃ solutions and calcined at 800° to 1400°C. The addition of small amounts of La₂O₃ (2 to 10 mol%) to Al₂O₃ gives rise to the formation of lanthanum β-alumina (La 2 O₃·11–14Al₂O₃) upon heating to above 1000°C and retards the transformation of γ-Al₂O₃ to α-Al₂O₃ and associated sintering.     

Phase Transformations in Dicalcium Silicate: I, Fabrication and Phase Stability of Fine-Grained β Phase

Fine-grained β-Ca₂SiO₄ containing small amounts of sodium was fabricated as an analogue to tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (TZP) in order to study the stress-induced β→γ transformation. This avoided the problems associated with the fabrication and evaluation of composites containing β-Ca₂SiO₄. The microstructure of dense β-Ca₂SiO₄ exhibited severe intergranular strains and twin-terminating microcracks as seen by TEM. The β-phase twin widths were quantitatively correlated with grain sizes giving an average ratio of 0.04. Stress-induced transformation was observed on ground surfaces but not on fracture surfaces. The stress–strain behavior and the mechanical properties were consistent with stress-induced microcracking and microcrack coalescence. The elastic modulus of fully dense β phase was estimated to be 123 GPa.     

Surface Characteristics of Sodium (β-Alumina Electrolytes

Surfaces of sodium β/β"-alumina ceramics were characterized via techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis to determine the nature of the resistive surface film that leads to the phenomenon of asymmetric polarization in a sodium-sulfur cell. The results indicated that the resistive surface film is soda rich, has submicrometer thickness, and is removable by a surface treatment. A mechanism consistent with these observations is proposed for the formation of the resistive surface film on sodium β/β"-alumina during the sintering process.     

无机粉体改性效果对比表面积的影响

分别利用钛酸酯偶联剂(NDZ-311)、磷酸酯偶联剂(FX-1)、铝酸酯偶联剂(L-2)和硅烷偶联剂(KH-560)对滑石粉(Talc)进行表面改性,并利用力学性能与比表面积(BET)等测试方法研究了改性Talc对PP复合体系性能的影响,发现BET极大值点与力学性能极大值点呈对应关系,因此可利用比表面积测定来定性或定量地反映偶联剂对无机粉体的改性效果。SEM结果表明:改性后Talc在基体中的分散度得到提高,并能更好地与基体结合。     

Phase Transformations in Dicalcium Silicate: III, Effects of Barium on the Stability of Fine-Grained α'L and β Phases

Fine-grained materials containing both α'-Ca₂SiO₄ and β-Ca₂SiO₄ were fabricated as an analogue to tetragonal zir-conia polycrystals (TZP) with the use of barium to stabilize the high-temperature polymorphs of Ca₂SiO₄. The micro-structure of dense α'_L-Ca₂SiO₄ exhibited none of the twinning or residual strain previously observed in fine-grained β-Ca₂SiO₄ and there was no evidence of barium-rich grain boundary phases. Materials fired in the α region exhibited large grain sizes. Stress-induced α'_L→β transformation was observed on ground surfaces but not on fracture surfaces.     

Topotactic Growth of β-Alumina on α-Alumina

Thin foils of polycrystalline α-alumina were reacted with a potassium-rich vapor at ≤900°C. Potassium β-alumina formed along α-alumina grain boundaries and protruded from holes in the foils. Conventional transmission electron microscopy was used to analyze the α-alumina/β-alumina phase boundary for possible orientation relations.