Interaction effect of triisopropanolamine and glucose on the hydration of Portland cement

•The Glucose had an effect with TIPA that significantly promoted the hydration of paste after retardation.•The heat generation of the paste with TIPA and glucose surpassed that of pastes with only TIPA or glucose.•The addition of glucose promoted C4AF dissolution by TIPA.•The types of hydrates were influenced by TIPA or glucose.•The hydrate products were characterised by a high surface area when the glucose was present.

This study addresses the hydration mechanism of a P.II 52.5R cement in the presence of triisopropanolamine (TIPA), glucose or both. Calorimetry tests showed that the interaction effect of TIPA and glucose significantly enhanced the degree of hydration of the cement after 7 days. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that the addition of glucose promoted C4AF dissolution by TIPA. The accelerated C4AF hydration yielded a reduced CH content and an increased amount of chemically combined water. Due to the delayed acceleration effect of glucose, the hydrate products were characterised by a high surface area. Furthermore, our results showed that the addition of TIPA promotes the formation of carboaluminate and the AFm phase when the limestone is in the presence of cement.