Behavior of Colloidal Nanosilica in an Ultrahigh Performance Concrete Environment Using Dynamic Light Scattering

The dispersion quality of nanosilica (NS) is an essential parameter to influence and control the material characteristics of nanosilica-enhanced concrete. In this research, the dispersion quality of colloidal nanosilica in simulated concrete environments was investigated using dynamic light scattering. A concrete environment was simulated by creating a synthetic pore solution that mimicked the ionic concentration and pH value of ultrahigh-performance concrete in the fluid state. Four colloidal nanosilica samples were used, ranging in particle sizes from 5 to 75 nm, with differing solid contents and stabilizing ions. It was found that the sodium stabilized 20 nm NS sol remains dispersed at a solid concentration of 2 wt % through a variety of pH values with the inclusion of potassium ions. Calcium ions are a major contributor to the agglomeration of NS sols and only small concentrations of calcium ions can drastically affect the dispersion quality.