Graduation Semester and Year
2023
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering
Department
Materials Science and Engineering
First Advisor
Efstathios Meletis
Second Advisor
Erika La Plante
Abstract
Magnesium-based cements such as magnesium silicate hydrate (MSH) have drawn interest as an environmentally friendly substitute for ordinary Portland cement because of their potential for reduced carbon footprint. The precise determination of these materials' elastic moduli is important to better assess their mechanical performance. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an effective tool for precise and spatially resolved quantification of nanomechanical characteristics of materials, including thin films. In this study, elastic modulus maps of MSH grown on single crystal mica surfaces were obtained using amplitude modulation-frequency modulation AFM. The effects of the Mg:Si ratio and morphology on the elastic modulus of MSH overgrowths were investigated. Using mica as a reference material, the results reveal elastic moduli ranging from 5 to 15 GPa and 40 to 64 GPa, depending on the growth reaction time and overgrowth morphology. The findings of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of AFM in describing the mechanical characteristics of cementitious phases and suggest that MSH-based materials have a significant potential for use in a variety of construction and building applications.
Keywords
Mechanical properties, Atomic force microscopy, Amplitude modulation-frequency modulation, Cement
Disciplines
Engineering | Materials Science and Engineering
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Syed, Arif, "SPATIALLY RESOLVED ELASTIC MODULUS OF MAGNESIUM SILICATE HYDRATE: A CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL" (2023). Material Science and Engineering Theses. 143.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/materialscieng_theses/143
Comments
Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington