Category: publications

A new publication titled “Nanoscale Ordering and Depolymerization of Calcium Silicate Hydrates in the Presence of Alkalis” was published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C in September 2019.

Sustainable cements like alkali-activated materials often contain non-negligible amounts of alkalis (Na or K) which significantly influence the resulting material’s performance. However, the precise role of these alkalis is not fully understood. In this publication, using a combination of X-ray PDF and NMR, we present evidence on the silicate polymerization and the structure of the CNASH gel. Additionally, we also report novel data on the long-range atomic ordering of a series of 45 synthetic gels.

The article can be accessed here.

A new publication titled “Dissolution Kinetics of Calcined Kaolinite and Montmorillonite in Alkaline Conditions: Evidence for Reactive Al(V) Sites” was published in Journal of the American Ceramic Society in July 2019.

Using solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy and Inductively-coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectroscopy, we followed the dissolution kinetics of calcined kaolinite and montmorillonite. It was shown that dissolution kinetics are correlated with pozzolanic reactivity and dissolution rates are strongly influenced by the presence of reactive Al(V) sites.

The article can be accessed here.

A new publication titled “Symmetry-Induced Stability in Alkali-Doped Calcium Silicate Hydrate” was published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C in May 2019.

Using first-principles quantum chemistry calculations on the model crystalline phase clinotobermorite, it was shown that there is a strong interplay between the thermodynamic stability of alkali-doped C-S-H and the symmetry of the alkali atoms in the structure. The article can be accessed here.