The influence of amylopectin on the hydration products of cement

Glutinous rice porridge is widely used to mortar formulations in ancient China, and it is significant to understand the interaction between amylopectin and cement pastes. X-ray diffraction analysis, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) analysis and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis are used to investigate hydration products in the cement pastes modified by amylopectin in this article. The results show that the hydration products in modified cement pastes were same with those in the unmodified cement paste. However, the growth of hydration products, such as calcium hydroxide (CH), calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) and entringite (AFt), are strongly influenced by amylopectin in glutinous rice. And the heavily branched structure of amylopectin is the crucial parameter for the specific control of the size and morphology of hydration products.