Nano-mechanical characterization of synthetic calcium–silicate–hydrate (C–S–H) with varying CaO/SiO2 mixture ratios

Abstract Synthetic calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) made with calcium to silicate (C/S) mixture ratios of 0.9, 1.2 and 1.5 respectively is characterized. C–S–H was produced by extracting calcium oxide (CaO) from calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and then mixing it with micro-silica (SiO2) and deionized water to make slurry. The slurry was continuously mixed for 7 days, then the excess water was removed and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) was conducted. The drying method was equilibrated to 11% relative humidity (RH). The stoichiometric formula of the synthetic C–S–H were approximated as C0.7SH0.6, C1.0SH0.8 and C1.2SH2.4 for C/S mixture ratios of 0.9, 1.2 and 1.5 respectively. The dried powders were characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRDA), and 29Si magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The powders were also compacted with 95 MPa pressure and nanoindentation of the compacted specimens were then undergone to mechanically characterize the synthetic C–S–H. The experiments provide insight on the nanoscale mechanical characteristics of C–S–H.