Effect of xanthan on pore structure of cement slurry doped with sodium silicate

Abstract Few papers published is available to investigate specification Portland cement mixtures with xanthan, as a new retarder, dosage rates capable of satisfying engineering application, nor to study the working mechanism of cement slurry doped with xanthan on hydration process and compression strength property change. In this paper, four kinds of xanthan gum and sodium silicate were investigated to determine the internal pore structure parameters change in hydration process and compressive strength. Results show that the xanthan content is proportional to threshold pore size and inversely proportional to mode pore diameter. The compressive strength decreases with the increase of xanthan gum content. That above attributes to the polyhydroxy property of xanthan, which possesses two effects, physical action and chemical bonding, to hinder the hydration process.