Study of the Hydration Mechanism of Portland Cement with Raman Spectroscopy Applying CO2 Laser Radiation

This work presents the results by irradiating fresh Portland cement pastes with CO2 laser, at powers of 1.6, 2.0, and 2.4 W, at different water-to-cement (w/c) ratios 0.4, 0.45, and 0.5. Raman spectra show the evolution and accelerated growth of the main hydration products through the intensity changes of the Raman signal. The Raman shifts reveal that the C-S-H, CH, AFt, and CaCO3 bands are detected in a shorter time, which means that the setting times are also reduced. The detected band of calcium carbonate, which is due to the incorporation of limestone during the grinding process, shows that it is responsible largely for the acceleration in the reactions during the hydration of the cement. The Raman signals of the hydration products of nonirradiated cement pastes present a delay in their evolution with respect to the irradiated pastes. The curves obtained from the Raman spectra can be used to model the mechanism of hydration as well as to understand the setting process.