Improving the Hydration and Carbonation of Reactive MgO Cement with Amino Acids and the Influencing Mechanisms

Low hydration and carbonation degree of reactive magnesium oxide cement (RMC) have always hindered the development of its properties. Motivated by the influence of amino acids on biomineralization, this work aimed to investigate the impacts of glutamic acid (Glu), serine (Ser), and arginine (Arg) on the hydration and carbonation of RMC under ambient-curing and accelerated CO2-curing. The exothermic hydration, mechanical strength, phase composition and thermal stability were studied. Results suggested that Glu significantly improved the compressive strength (0.1 M Glu increased strength by 58