Nanostructured calcium silicate hydrate seeds accelerate concrete hardening: a combined assessment of benefits and risks.

Nanotechnology creates new possibilities to control and improve material properties for civil infrastructure. Special focus in this area is put on Portland cement and gypsum. Together their annual production is by far larger than for any other material worldwide. Nanomodification of these materials can be done during the few hours between dissolution and hardening, especially by nucleation of the re-crystallization with suitable colloids. Here we report first results in homogeneous seeding of the precipitation of calcium silicate hydrates within a real Portland cement composition. The occupational safety during the production phase and during mixing of concrete paste is addressed in detail by in vivo testing. We perform 5-day inhalation with 21-day recovery in rats and analyze organ-specific toxicity and 71 endpoints from bronchoalveolar lavage (BALF) and blood. In BALF parameters, no test-related changes were observed, indicating the generally low toxicity of the test material. Some mild lesions were observed in larynx level. In the lungs, all animals of the 50 mg/m³ concentration group revealed a minimal to mild increase in alveolar macrophages, which recovered back to control level.

Influence of experimental parameters on spatial phase distribution in as-sprayed and incubated hydroxyapatite coatings.

In the present study, the behavior and properties of plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings [Ca(10)(PO(4))(6)(OH)(2), HAp] were investigated in relation to the spraying process. The experiments were focused on the influence of type of feedstock and spray power on the phase composition and distribution within the coatings. Depth profiles of the coatings were investigated before and after incubation in revised simulated body fluid (SBF) by X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. Besides HAp, the coatings contain oxyapatite (OAp) and carbonate apatite (CAp). Additionally, tricalcium phosphate (TCP), tetracalcium phosphate (TTCP), CaO, and an amorphous phase were detected in the coatings. The HAp content directly depends on the used spray powder and spray power, where the influence of spray powder is much higher than the influence of the spray power. The grain size range of the spray powder strongly influences the HAp content in the coating and the formation of CaO. The in vitro behavior of the coatings in simulated body fluid mainly depends on the contents of CaO and amorphous calcium phosphate, respectively. The formation of portlandite due to the reaction of the coating with the SBF is strongly influenced by the porosity of the coatings and can be used as an indicator for the depth of interaction between fluid and coating.