Interparticle potential and sedimentation behavior of cement suspensions

A fundamental theory in colloid science is the DLVO theory (named after the four contributors: Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek). This theory and relevant basic concepts are reviewed and applied to cement systems to determine the state of flocculation for cement pastes. Both theoretical and experimental evidence suggest that normal, neat cement suspensions are either flocculated or coagulated. Because of the high ionic strength in the aqueous phase, the degree of flocculation or coagulation is not sensitive to the variation of the zeta potential, for zeta potentials between −20 mV and 20 mV.