Characterization via nuclear magnetic resonance of Portland cement and related materials

The physicochemical and engineering performance properties of several API class G and H ordinary Portland cements (OPCs) from various foreign and domestic sources have been investigated. The engineering performance properties are found to vary from sample to sample, and sources for this variation were sought out and identified. Magic angle spinning (MAS) 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments were marked by unusual relaxation behavior due to paramagnetism inherent in OPCs. A model system was created to mimic the paramagnetism of the cements and the system's relaxation behavior was analyzed. The iron in the calcium aluminoferrite (C4AF) provides the paramagnetism sufficient to substantially increase the relaxation rates of the 29Si in the tricalcium silicate (C3S) and dicalcium silicate (C2S) of cement. Several relaxation techniques were evaluated for analyzing cement relaxation, and saturation recovery was identified as the preferred technique. Correlations of data from the saturation recovery experiments with engineering performance properties, especially the strength development of cement pastes, were obtained facilely. An error analysis of the NMR and engineering performance testing techniques was conducted, which indicated that NMR measurements produced less error than the engineering performance tests. A best practice, modified from the saturation recovery experiment, is proposed for use in property correlations. Additionally, 13C MAS NMR was used to characterize various fluorinated single-walled carbon nanotubes (F-SWNTs), which proved surprisingly effective in attenuating 13C-19F dipolar interactions and quantifying the extent of functionalization present at high degrees of reaction. The mixed-metal nanocluster known as FeMoC was also characterized by MAS NMR. The impact of the paramagnetic Fe3+ in the Keplerate cage on the 31P nuclei in the caged Keggin ion of FeMoC was evident in the greatly reduced relaxation times measured