Formation of magnesium silicate hydrates (M-S-H)

The formation of magnesium silicate hydrates (M-S-H) with MgO to SiO2 ratios from 0.7 to 1.6 has been studied at 20, 50 and 70 degrees C. TGA and XRD data reveal that initially brucite and M-S-H are formed while amorphous silica is still present as indicated by FT-IR and Si-29 MAS NMR experiments. In this first step M-S-H with Mg/Si similar to 1 with pH values similar to 9.4 is formed independently of the total Mg/Si. Investigations by FT-IR and Si-29 MAS NMR detail that the structure of that initial M-S-H evolved with time and M-S-H formed with Mg/Si ranging from similar to 0.8 to similar to 1.3 after 2 years at 20 degrees C and after 1 year at 50 and 70 degrees C. This implies that the composition of synthetic M-S-H depends strongly on temperature and equilibration time. At 50 and 70 degrees C the M-S-H formation occurs faster although it is thermodynamically slightly less stable. The solubility of M-S-H, talc and antigorite after 1 year or longer shows comparable trends. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.