Effect of chromium addition on the kinetics of hydration of dicalcium silicate phase

Samples of dicalcium silicate (C₂H) using different precursors and 0·5 to 5·0% chromium oxide (Cr₂O₃) were prepared and hydrated in order to study the effect of different concentrations of chromium oxide on the kinetics of hydration of the pure and doped dicalcium silicate (C₂S) phase. Hydrated samples of different age intervals up to 180 days were investigated by differential thermal analysis/thermo gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopic techniques. In chromium oxide-doped dicalcium silicate phase, the hydration increased with the amount of chromium oxide was increased from 0·5 to 0·7% and then declined to become minimal at 5·0% chromium oxide concentration. The degree of hydration and extent of hydration uniformly increased as the concentration of the dopant was increased from zero to 0·7%.