A comparative physio-chemical study of steel slag blended cementitious materials in presence of hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose

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The applications of steel slag (SS) in the cement industry provide a sustainable solution both for construction materials and industrial solid wastes, but the problem of easily bleeding presents a threat to its later performance and utilization efficiency. This work was designed to improve the water retention of SS blended cement by using hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose (HEMC) and evaluate the physio-chemical properties of the modified SS cement. The interaction mechanism between HEMC and SS blended cement was explored via calorimetry, acoustic and electroacoustic spectrometer, low-field NMR relaxometry, XRD, TG-DSC, as well as fluorescent microscopy. Results show that the water retention of SS blended cement mortar is improved both by ultra-fine grinding and incorporating HEMC, while the water retention rates are prominently increased from 84.87% to 94.35% by 0.1% HEMC. Ultra-fine grinding is able to activate SS and improve water retention ability more efficient compared with the application of HEMC. HEMC does not modify the amount of hydration heat but postpones the occurrence of the exothermic peak. A sudden increase in zeta potential demonstrates the Ca2+-adsorption on surfaces of SCM and cement particles. An additional peak commences on the 1H NMR spectrum of HEMC incorporated cement paste, which reflects the water adsorbed by HEMC, starting to submerge after 500 min via the desorption of water. HEMC affects the SS blended mortar via adsorbing on particles in the paste, capturing water and Ca2+ around it, thus improving the water retention and retarding the hydrate-polymerization.