Adsorption behaviors of ethyltriethoxysilane on the calcium silicate hydrate surface: Effect of Ca/Si ratio and adsorption sites

Silane coupling agents (SCAs) are utilized to enhance the impermeability of concrete surfaces, whose adhesion force is affected by the interfacial interactions in between that remain unclear. In this study, we probe the adsorption tendencies of ethyltriethoxysilane (ETES) onto C-S-H surfaces by employing density functional theory (DFT) calculations and Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) simulations. Results suggest that significant chemisorption occurs at the CaOH(1.5), SiOH(1.0), Ca(1.0) sites C-S-H surfaces. Electronic structures analysis proved that the chemisorption of hydroxyl sites arises from the overlap of H and O atomic orbitals, resulting in the formation of hydrogen bonds. The chemisorption of the Ca(1.0) site is caused by electrostatic adsorption between calcium and oxygen. Adsorption energy results show: ECaOH(1.5) > ECa(1.0) > ESiOH(1.0). Moreover, ETES remains transverse adsorption on low Ca/Si C-S-H surfaces, while displaying longitudinal adsorption on high. Interaction analysis illustrates the configuration discrepancy arising from the absence of bridge silicon-oxygen tetrahedrons which possess vdW interactions with ethyl. Notably, transverse adsorption covers a wider area on the C-S-H surface thereby enhancing the hydrophobic effect. In summary, the utilization of ETES presents notable advantages within the context of low Ca/Si ratio cement. This study contributes valuable insights into the design and application of silane coatings.