On the use of pulse NMR techniques for the study of cement hydration

The application of pulse NMR to the study of hydration of cement and its constituents is discussed. The quantity of adsorbed water in hydrated samples can be most easily determined by measuring the proton free induction decay signal, whereas the rates of hardening and hydration can be best followed by measuring the proton spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation times. The use of multiple pulse high resolution NMR in solids techniques is helpful in separating the H₂O and OH-group signals whereas ²⁷Al quadrupole coupling and spin-lattice relaxation may as well contribute to our understanding of the structure and hydration of cement.