Characterizing the effect of superabsorbent polymer content on internal curing process of cement paste using calorimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance methods

Internal curing (IC) is used to mitigate autogenous shrinkage in low water-to-cement ratio (w/c) concrete. Although, superabsorbent polymers (SAP) have been shown to work well for IC, their effects on the kinetics of the cement chemical reaction and the amount of water they provide have not been fully quantified. An experimental program was performed using isothermal calorimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to study the behavior of …