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A European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant project focused on understanding and accelerating the hydration of sustainable low-carbon cements.
This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC-AdG) under the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme [grant agreement No. 101139298, “Imaging the hydration of low-carbon CEMents with SYNchrotron X-rays (syn4cem)]”, 2025/01-2029/12.
Syn4Cem is an ERC Advanced Grant research project investigating how low-carbon cements hydrate at early ages using advanced synchrotron X-ray imaging. The project aims to accelerate sustainable cement technologies and reduce the carbon footprint of concrete.
About Syn4Cem
About Syn4Cem
Concrete is the most manufactured material in the world, with an average production of 5 tonnes per person per year. It is mainly produced using Portland cement, the manufacture of which is responsible for around 8% of global anthropogenic CO₂ emissions.
Developing durable concretes with a lower carbon footprint is therefore essential for maintaining modern infrastructure and societal well-being.
However, the most ambitious low-carbon cement formulations suffer from a major limitation: slow hydration during the first three days, which delays early mechanical strength and limits their practical adoption.
Syn4Cem addresses this challenge.
Scientific Objective
Scientific Objective
Understanding Early-Age Cement Hydration in 4D
Understanding Early-Age Cement Hydration in 4D
Syn4Cem builds on a breakthrough in synchrotron ptychographic nanotomography to study cement hydration in situ.
The project will develop coherence-based submicron 4D (3D + time) X-ray imaging techniques capable of simultaneously providing:
Spatial resolution better than 100 nm
Time resolution better than 100 minutes
High electron density contrast
These capabilities will allow researchers to observe and understand cement hydration processes at early ages with unprecedented detail.
A key scientific goal is to understand the transition from the accelerated to the decelerated hydration stage, enabling the rational enhancement of early reactivity.
Acclerating Low-carbon Cements
Acclerating Low-carbon Cements
Enhancing Early-Age Reactivity
Enhancing Early-Age Reactivity
The new 4D insights will support the optimisation of admixtures that accelerate hydration, including:
C-S-H seeding
Alkanolamines
This knowledge will help overcome the main limitation of sustainable binders: slow early strength development.
Sustainable Binders
Sustainable Binders
Towards Low-CO₂ Cement and Concrete
Towards Low-CO₂ Cement and Concrete
Based on the improved understanding of hydration, Syn4Cem will develop binders with significantly lower CO₂ footprints.
The project focuses on limestone calcined clay cements (LC3), where large amounts of clinker are replaced by abundant supplementary cementitious materials.
Accelerating hydration in these systems is essential to achieve competitive one-day mechanical strength, which is critical for on-site construction applications.
Interdisciplinary Breakthroughs
Interdisciplinary Breakthroughs
New Insights into Cement Microstructure
New Insights into Cement Microstructure
The project will enable groundbreaking advances in:
Quantifying etch-pit growth rates as a function of particle size
Understanding mass transport in confined spaces
Tracking water and air porosity evolution
By zooming into the earliest stages of hydration, synchrotron X-ray tools will optimise admixture performance and contribute to more sustainable buildings and infrastructure.
Syn4Cem contributes to the development of sustainable construction materials by enabling faster and more reliable low-carbon cement technologies. The project supports the transition towards greener buildings and infrastructure.
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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council (ERC-AdG). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them
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