Influence of PC superplasticizers on tricalcium silicate hydration.

International audience; The influence of polycarboxylate superplasticizers with variations of content of anionic groups was studied on pure tricalcium silicate hydration. The hydration in diluted suspension has been investigated by conductimetry, calorimetry, and ionic and total organic carbon analysis of the liquid phase. The tricalcium silicate hydration is always delayed in presence of polycarboxylate superplasticizer. Moreover, the delay can be correlated with the number of carboxylate groups which are on the adsorbed superplasticizer molecules. This effect seems to be due to a decrease of the C3S dissolution rate. Namely the pure C3S dissolution was studied by ICP with or without a car…