The Hydration of Magnesium Phosphate Cements: Effect of Powder Characteristics on the Reaction Kinetics

The setting reaction of magnesium phosphate cements starts with water addition to a mixture of ammonium phosphate and magnesium oxide, is very fast and takes place at room temperature (cold setting). Literature shows that controversy is still going on about the reaction mechanism, hence, about the effect on the setting time of factors such as the water/cement ratio or the magnesia specific surface area. This work is focused on the magnesia powder characteristics, which were varied by calcining MgO at temperatures ranging from 900 to 1050°C, for periods of 30 to 60 min. Cement pastes were obtained by mixing MgO and diammonium phosphate with water and setting aids. The pastes were left to set in air and were characterized in terms of mineralogical composition (XRD) and microstructure (SEM). The results obtained show how the combined effect of the magnesia characteristics can be used to control the workability and adjust the setting time.