The pH of Cement-based Materials: A Review

Cement-based materials (CBMs), such as paste, mortar and concrete, are highly alkaline with an initial high pH of approximately 12.0 to 13.8. CBMs have a high pH due to the existing oxide mineral portlandite and alkali metal contents in Portland cement. The high pH of concrete provides excellent protection and reinforces the steel bars against corrosion. The pH of concrete does not remain constant due to ageing and other defect-causing factors, such as chloride ingress, alkali leaching, carbonation, corrosion, acid attack, moisture and biodegradation process. Reducing the concrete pH has negative impact on the strength, durability and service life of concrete buildings. However, the high pH of concrete may also cause concrete structure deterioration, such as alkali silica reaction, porosity and moisture related damages in concrete structures. The pH of CBMs can be influenced by high temperatures. For instance, the extremely high volume (85%-100%) of slag-blended cement pastes shows considerable pH reduction from 12.80 to 11.34 at 800 degrees C. As many concrete structure deterioration are related to concrete pH, using an accurate and reliable method to measure pH and analyse the durability of reinforced concrete structure based on pH values is extremely important. This study is a comprehensive review of the pH of CBM in terms of measurement, limitations and varying values for different CBM types.