Impact of triethanolamine on the hydration of Portland cement in the presence of high pozzolanic activity supplementary cementitious materials

Triethanolamine (TEA) is a widely employed cement accelerator that has been demonstrated to have a favorable impact on the early strength of cement at moderate dosing levels, while having a slight or negative impact on the later strength. This study systematically investigates the hydration pattern and strength development of Portland cement systems with the incorporation of fly ash microspheres and silica fume at a dosage of 0.02 % triethanolamine. The results proved that the addition of TEA had a positive impact on the early strength of the pure Portland cement system, while the later strength was reduced. However, the presence of high pozzolanic activity supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) altered this reduction and even reversed it, resulting in an increase in strength. Specifically, TEA inhibits the crystallization nucleation growth of hydration products through complexation, resulting in the inhibition of the hydration of silicate minerals. The nucleation effect of silica fume, however, eliminates this inhibition and promotes the hydration of all minerals. Moreover, the presence of SCMs leads to the formation of more amorphous calcium hydroxide (CH) due to the demand of pozzolanic reaction, and the addition of TEA promotes the formation of amorphous CH, effectively lowering the reaction threshold of the pozzolanic reaction and facilitating it. The results confirm that the interaction of the complexation reaction of TEA with the pozzolanic reaction provides a beneficial complement to cement strength development.