Morphological Forms of Tobermorite in Hydrothermally Treated Calcium Silicate Hydrate Gels

Abstract

The morphology of the calcium silicate hydrate phase, tobermorite, generally thought to be the bonding phase in ordinary portland cement, was studied. Tobermorite was hydrothermally synthesized at pH 12.6 at 150°C. The powder was characterized by XRD and SEM analysis. Modeling of the morphology was performed using the SHAPE and ATOMS programs. Two morphologies were produced: fibers and platelets. Computer calculations of equilibrium particle shape suggest that growth occurs on the (110)‐type planes for both morphologies.