Crystal-Chemical and Thermal Properties of Decorative Cement Composites.

The advanced tendencies in building materials development are related to the design of cement composites with a reduced amount of Portland cement, contributing to reduced CO emissions, sustainable development of used non-renewal raw materials, and decreased energy consumption. This work deals with water cured for 28 and 120 days cement composites: Sample A-reference (white Portland cement + sand + water); Sample B-white Portland cement + marble powder + water; and Sample C white Portland cement + marble powder + polycarboxylate-based water reducer + water. By powder X-ray diffraction and FTIR spectroscopy, the redistribution of CO, SO, SiO, AlO, and OH (as O-H bond in structural OH anions and O-H bond belonging to crystal bonded water molecules) from raw minerals to newly formed minerals have been studied, and the scheme of samples hydration has been defined.