Characterization of principal clinker minerals by FT-Raman microspectroscopy

• Published in: Cement and concrete research Vol. 24; no. 5; pp. 959 - 965
• Main Authors: Bonen, D., Johnson, T.J., Sarkar, S.L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Ltd 1994; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Buildings. Public works; Cement concrete constituents; Cements; Exact sciences and technology; Materials; Properties and test methods; Properties of anhydrous and hydrated cement, test methods; Mineralogical analysis; Fourier transformation; Raman spectrometry; Cement clinker; Cement
• ISSN: 0008-8846; 1873-3948
• DOI: 10.1016/0008-8846(94)90016-7

Commercial and synthetic clinker minerals have been analyzed by Fourier Transform (FT) Raman microspectroscopy. The spectra of synthetic polymorphs of C 3S and β C 2S are compared to their counterparts in commercial clinker. Identification of the calcium silicate phases by FT Raman microscopy conforms with XRD diffractograms. C 3S is easily distinguishable from C 2S. The main band of the synthetic C 3S polymorphs correspond to the out-of-plane Si-O bending ν 4, and it is shifted to higher energy for the commercial C 3S. The main band for the C 2S minerals corresponds to the asymmetric Si-O stretching ν 3. However, the reported spectra differ from other literature results designating the ν 1 SiO 4 vibration as the predominant lines characterizing calcium silicates. The analyses for synthetic C 3A polymorphs and C 4AF conform with the published data.