Characterization of cementitious materials using X-ray synchrotron radiation: What we know, what we don’t know, and what we want to know

Abstract

For the last two decades, our research group has conducted research in various international synchrotron facilities, including ALS (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab), APS (Argonne National Lab), BESSY (Germany), ELLETRA (Italy), LNSL (Brazil), and SLRI (Thailand). In this lecture, I will summarize the highlights and pitfalls of using this powerful characterization technique. The presentation will also describe new results on

a) understanding catalytic reactions using in-situ XPS, b) linking the chemical and mechanical properties of calcium (alumino)silicate hydrate using HP-XRD, and c) characterizing the early hydration with high-resolution spectromicroscopy.

The lecture will end with personal recommendations for future research.