Title:
Novel cement strength enhancers based on oxidized alkanolamines
Author(s):
Julien Chapelat, Patrick Juilland, Cristiano Cereda, Sridhara Gowda, Joachim Dengler, and Emmanuel Gallucci
Publication:
Symposium Paper
Volume:
369
Issue:
Appears on pages(s):
131-142
Keywords:
Cement hydration; strength enhancer; low clinker cement; alkanolamine; grinding aid; N-oxide.
DOI:
10.14359/51750727
Date:
5/1/2026
Abstract:
The production of Portland cement for making concrete is one of the major contributors to Global Warming Potential (GWP) and one strategy to reduce its footprint is the partial substitution of the clinker by supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) having significantly lower CO2 footprint. The major drawback and limitation of this approach is the reduction of the mechanical performance as the SCM substitution increases. However, this can be corrected by the addition of strength enhancer chemical additives. Novel cement mortar strength enhancers were synthesized by oxidizing alkanolamines such as triethanolamine (TEA) and diethanolisopropanolamine (DEIPA) to the corresponding N-oxides and their effect on cement hydration and compressive strength were studied. In particular, the interaction of the amine N-oxides with calcium, aluminium and iron was investigated by conductivity experiments and the influence on cement hydration was studied using isothermal calorimetry. Oxidized TEA and DEIPA showed improved compressive strength at all ages at higher dosages compared to the non-modified amine, providing with a new chemical to reduce the clinker content in modern cement.
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