Characterisation of the surface thermodynamic properties of cement components by inverse gas chromatography at infinite dilution

The surface thermodynamic properties of three main inorganic compounds formed during hydration of Portland cement: calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2), ettringite (3CaO·Al2O3·3CaSO4·32H2O) and calcium-silicate-hydrates (C-S-H), respectively, and one mineral filler: calcium carbonate (CaCO3), have been characterised by inverse gas chromatography at infinite dilution (IGC-ID) at 35 °C. The thermodynamic properties have been investigated using a wide range of non-polar (n-alkane series), Lewis acidic (CH2Cl2 and CHCl3), Lewis basic (diethyl ether) and aromatic (benzene) and n-alkene series molecular probes, respectively. The tested samples are fairly high surface energy materials as judged by the high dispersive contribution to the total surface energy (the dispersive components γsd range from 45.6 up to 236.2 mJ m− 2 at 35 °C) and exhibit amphoteric properties, with a predominant acidic character. In the case of hydrated components (i.e. ettringite and C-S-H), the surface thermodynamic properties have been determined at various temperatures (from 35 up to 120 °C) in order to examine the influence of the water content. The changes of both dispersive and specific components clearly demonstrate that the material surface properties are activated with temperature. The changes in the acid–base properties are correlated with the extent of the overall water loss induced by the thermal treatment as demonstrated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The elemental surface composition of these compounds has been determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).