Effect of Synthetic Pregelatinized Starch-Modified C-S-H Particles on the Chemical Structure of C-A-S-H Generated from GGBS

Finding new agents to enhance the strength of alkali-activated (ground granulated blast furnace slag) GGBS is beneficial for environmental protection. Here, we reveal the effect of pregelatinized starch-modifying calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) particles on the nanostructure tailoring of NaOH-activated GGBS hydrates. The results show that, for the synthetic modified C-S-H, the pregelatinized starch absorbs on the surface of C-S-H, which modifies the silicate chains and crystal structure. Adding pregelatinized starch-modified C-S-H particles can tailor the chemical structure of calcium silicaluminate hydrate (C-A-S-H) formed from GGBS hydration by increasing the mean chain length (MCL) and decreasing the Al/Si ratios. When adding C-S-H particles modified by 0.1% pregelatinized starch, the MCL of C-A-S-H is increased by 344.5% and the Al/Si ratio is decreased by 16.0%. The compressive strength of NaOH-activated GGBS samples can be enhanced by adding pregelatinized starch-modified C-S-H particles, while the addition for modified C-S-H does not significantly affect the flexural strength. The high strength of hardened blocks of hydrated GGBS is related to the long MCL silicate chains. These findings provide a potential application of pregelatinized starch-modifying C-S-H particle acting as strength-enhancing agents.