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Influence of calcium nitrate and sodium nitrate on strength development and properties in quicklime(CaO)-activated Class F fly ash system

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Abstract

The single use of CaO has been regarded as relatively unsuccessful in fly ash activation when no other additives are used together, as it produces a considerably lower strength compared to other types of activators (e.g., alkaline activators). This study investigated two potential additives of nitrate compounds (i.e., Ca(NO3)2 and NaNO3) to improve the strength of a CaO-activated fly ash system. The results showed that the use of Ca(NO3)2 was greatly beneficial in the strength improvement of the binder system primarily due to the significant increase in (1) the dissolution degree of fly ash, (2) C–S–H formation, and (3) pore size refinement from early days; however, NaNO3 was much less advantageous in strength improvement, although it also aided in dissolving fly ash.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by research facilities from the Institute of Construction and Environmental Engineering at Seoul National University and the Institute of Engineering Research at Seoul National University. The authors gratefully acknowledge Se Jin Lee in the KBSI Jeonju Center for assistance with mercury intrusion porosimetry and Sin Ae Chae in the KBSI Western Seoul Center for assistance with the solid-state NMR experiments.

Funding

This study was supported by the Basic Science Research Programs (NRF-2016R1D1A1B03932908) through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Education, Republic of Korea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering, Seoul National University, 1, Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea

    Jung-Il Suh & Hong-Gun Park

  2. School of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), UNIST-gil 50, Ulju-gun, Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea

    Jung-Il Suh, Woo Sung Yum, Haemin Song & Jae Eun Oh

  3. Construction Division, Korea Conformity Laboratories, Construction Materials Center, 73, Yangcheong 3-gil, Ochang-eup, Cheongwon-gu, Cheongju, 28115, Republic of Korea

    Jung-Il Suh

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  1. Jung-Il Suh
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Suh, JI., Yum, W.S., Song, H. et al. Influence of calcium nitrate and sodium nitrate on strength development and properties in quicklime(CaO)-activated Class F fly ash system. Mater Struct 52, 115 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-019-1413-2

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