1.2 Biophotonik
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Organisationseinheit der BAM
- 7 Bauwerkssicherheit (8) (entfernen)
Safety is a key parameter for the design and construction of buildings. The most widely used construction material to date is concrete that consists of about 15-20 wt.-% cement, which is responsible for the main concrete properties, i.e., strength and durability. Despite many standards regulating the quality of cement, at present, there exists no viable method to track the cement life cycle “from cradle to grave”. This led to an increasing interest in simple and robust methods for studying the processes and changes occurring during the life cycle of cement. In this context, we explored the applicability of fluorescence measurements which can be performed with relatively inexpensive and miniaturized instrumentation yet require robust optical probes which survive the harsh cement environment. Therefore, we developed a platform of lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), consisting of a NaYF4 matrix doped with Yb3+ and Er3+ with sizes between 20 nm and 55 nm, which show characteristic multi-color emission patterns, composed of narrow bands of varying intensity in the ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared, and short-wave spectral region and examined their potential for cement probing and the non-invasive monitoring of the hydration processes occurring during cement formation.
UCNPs of different size and chemical composition were synthesized via a thermal decomposition approach under inert conditions. The tailor-made design of different emission patterns was achieved by tuning particle size and morphology, material composition, and particle surface chemistry in upscaleable syntheses. For cement probing, different types of UCNPs were added to cement and the evolution of the UCNP emission pattern was used to probe in-situ changes of physico-chemical parameters in the cementitious environment during hydration, utilizing a simple and portable custom-designed optical setup. The observed changes in the UCNP emission patterns are characteristic for a given particle size, surface chemistry, and cement composition. In addition to fluorescence measurements, conventional isothermal heat flow calorimetry was used to study the influence of UCNP addition on cement hydration kinetics. Subsequently, both sets of measurements were correlated. Our results underline the potential of our optical approach ad UCNPs for the non-invasive probing of cementitious systems and cement hydration. This can be also exploited for cutting-edge applications of construction materials such as 3D concrete printing.
Tricalcium aluminate (C3A) is found with less than 10% wt. of the total composition; however, during hydration, C3A plays an important role in the early hydration of cement in the presence of gypsum as a set retarder.
The aim of this investigation is to assess the suitability of optical spectroscopy and a dye-based optical probe to monitor early hydration of C3A in the presence of gypsum and hemihydrate. Optical evaluation was performed using steady-state fluorescence and diffuses reflectance spectroscopy (UV-VisDR). Phase characterization during hydration was done with in-situ X-ray diffraction. UV-VisDR with a cyanine dye probe was used to monitor the formation of metastable phases and was employed together with fluorescence spectroscopy, to follow the Aggregation and disaggregation of the dye during hydration. In conclusion, for the first time, a cyanine dye was identified as a feasible and stable probe to monitor C3A hydration changes in the presence of calcium sulfate.
Organic/inorganic mixtures were prepared from ordinary Portland cement (OPC), water (w/c 0.22), a fluorescent dye in aqueous solution (stable at alkaline pH; BAM-I), and two different comb shape polycarboxylates (PCEs), i.e., high charge (PCE-HC) and low charge (PCE-LC), respectively. Rheological and calorimetric measurements were performed prior to optical studies in order to select PCE concentrations. Absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy of the system OPC + BAM-I (CBAM-I) revealed maxima of dye BAM-I located at 645 nm and 663 nm, respectively. In presence of PCE-HC and PCE-LC, these mixtures displayed a small red shift in reflectance and a faster decrease in intensity compared to studies with CBAM-I; however, only slight differences were observed between the different PCEs. With time, all systems exhibited a decrease in intensity of BAM-I in absorption/reflectance and emission. This could be caused by dye adsorption and possibly decomposition when in contact with cement particles or hydration products.
The Effect of Low Charge Polycarboxylate on C3A Passivation Monitored by Optical Spectroscopy
(2019)
Tricalcium aluminate (C3A) is less than 10 wt.% of the total cement composition; however, during hydration, the soluble C3A plays an important role in cement setting when mixed with the appropriate amount of sulfate.1 A good understanding about the balance of these components is therefore crucial to follow with the rapid growth of substitution materials and the rising levels of aluminate clinker. The aim of this investigation is the use of optical spectroscopy and in-situ X-ray diffraction utilizing a water-soluble organic dye (dye-S) to monitor early hydration of calcium aluminate (C3A) in the presence of 26 wt.% CaS04.2H2O (G) and PCE polymers with different charge densities (PCE-LC and PCE-HC). Phase characterization and optical evaluation were performed using in-situ X-ray diffraction and steady-state fluorescence and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Fluorescence spectroscopy of the reference C3A + dye-S revealed a fast decay in fluorescence intensity. However, in the presence of 26 wt.% G (C3A + dye-S + 26 wt.% G), a gradual increase in fluorescence intensity was observed in the first hours of reaction followed by a plateau that subsequently dropped in intensity after eight hours. The addition of PCE-LC and PCE HC to the mixture exhibited changes in the intensity threshold and overall a higher fluorescence intensity. Dye changes during hydration and structural changes will be further discussed.
Polyether and -ester urethanes (PU) were exposed to artificial weathering at 40 °C and artificial UV radiation in a weathering chamber. In 3 parallel exposures, humidity was varied between dry, humid, and wet conditions. Material alteration was investigated by various analytical techniques like size exclusion chromatography
(SEC), liquid chromatography-infrared spectroscopy (LC-FTIR), thermal-desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS), fluorescence mapping and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Our results show that depending on the weathering conditions, different degradation effects can be observed. By means of SEC an initial strong decrease of the molar masses and a broadening of the mass distributions was found. After a material dependent time span this was followed by a plateau where molar mass changes were less significant. A minor moisture-dependent degradation effect was only found for polyester PU. Fluorescence measurements on two materials revealed an increase in the luminescence intensity upon weathering process reaching a saturation level after about 500 h. The changes in the optical properties observed after different exposure conditions and times were very similar. The TD-GC-MS data showed the fate of the stabilizers and antioxidant in the course of weathering. LC-FTIR measurements revealed a change in peak intensities and the ratio of urethane and carbonyl bands.
Most factors acting on concrete rheology work at an extremely small-scale level. Influencing factors in the millimetre or centimetre area are essentially restricted to sand and aggregates. The latter, however, make up 50 to 70% of the total volume of most concretes – a fact often ignored in research on controlling concrete processing properties.
Whereas suitably chosen concrete admixtures and additives can influence rheology in a very targeted manner, sand and aggregates are less suitable for controlling rheology but nonetheless contribute to the rheology of the Overall system. The actions of sand and aggregate can impose themselves upon the actions of admixtures and additives
and, in unfavourable circumstances, even render them redundant. For this reason, any results concerning the processability of binding agent systems can only be transferred to concrete with great care. It is important to better understand the action of sand and aggregates in order to be able to harmonise them in such a way that they complement the action of superplasticisers positively, instead of
working against them. Savings on costs can also be made by this targeted fine-tuning.
Organic/inorganic mixtures were prepared from ordinary Portland cement (OPC), water (w/c 0.22), a fluorescent dye in aqueous solution (stable at alkaline pH; BAM-I), and two different comb shape polycarboxylates (PCEs), i.e., high charge (PCE-HC) and low charge (PCE-LC), respectively. Rheological and calorimetric measurements were performed prior to optical studies in order to select PCE concentrations. Absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy of the system OPC + BAM-I (CBAM-I) revealed maxima of dye BAM-I located at 645 nm and 663 nm, respectively. In presence of PCE-HC and PCE-LC, these mixtures displayed a small red shift in reflectance and a faster decrease in intensity compared to studies with CBAM-I; however, only slight differences were observed between the different PCEs. With time, all systems exhibited a decrease in intensity of BAM-I in absorption/reflectance and emission. This could be caused by dye adsorption and possibly decomposition when in contact with cement particles or hydration products.