The concrete world that surrounds us owes its shape and durability to chemical reactions that start when ordinary Portland cement is mixed with water.
Now, MIT scientists have demonstrated a way to watch these reactions under real-world conditions, an advance that may help researchers find ways to make concrete more sustainable.
The study is a “Brothers Lumière moment for concrete science,” says co-author Franz-Josef Ulm, professor of civil and environmental engineering and faculty director of the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, referring to the two brothers who ushered in the era of projected films. [Read more…] about Visualizing cement hydration on a molecular level