Morphological Development of Hydrating Tricalcium Silicate as Examined by Electron Microscopy Techniques

Abstract

This study of C 3 S hydrates used a high‐voltage electron microscope equipped with a gas reaction cell that allows the specimen to be kept moist, and high‐resolution scanning and scanning transmission microscopes. Mechanical thinning and ion‐beam thinning coupled with fractography allowed this study of microstructural development with time, enabling both the morphologies and the spatial relations of the morphologies to be observed. The combination of several microscopic techniques allowed the hydration products of C 3 S to be classified and compared with those of Diamond for portland cement hydrates.