Synthesis of pure cementitious phases by sol-gel process as precursor

Calcium silicates and aluminates are the main constituents of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and calcium aluminate cements (CAC) and therefore the pure phases are of great importance for the investigation of interactions between binder and additives or admixtures. Additionally, investigations on clinker phases doped with foreign ions enable the improvement of the performance of cements. For this purpose great amounts of pure phases are needed. These phases are hard to synthesize via a solid state reaction of solid educts. Thus there is a need for a new, more efficient route to synthesize these phases. The sol-gel process as precursor provides an alternative to the conventional method. In this paper experimental evidence is presented for an improved synthesis of calcium silicates and aluminates via sol-gel processes, the characterisation of these clinker phases and their hydration behaviour.