Roland Käser
ETH Zurich
About Roland Käser
Affiliation
ETH Zurich
Innovandi Project
Core Project 3: A time lapse insight into the rheology of OPC-LS blends
Background
Chemist from ETH Zurich in Switzerland with a background in inorganic chemistry, polymer science and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. I am interested in the mechanisms of cement hydration and properties of cement paste in the fresh state on a molecular scale.
Research topic
My research project is focused on the interactions of organic admixtures with ions and surfaces during the early stages of cement hydration. The goal is to understand their mechanisms of action by analysing the thermodynamic properties of their reactions. Knowledge of the key thermodynamic parameters, such as equilibrium constants, would make it possible to predict the admixtures’ behaviours, including their adsorption on different surfaces.
I am studying reactions of sucrose (retarder), polycarboxylate ethers (superplasticizers) and alkanolamines (grinding aids), currently focusing on interactions in solution. I use simplified sample mixtures and different combinations of methods, including electrode measurements, isothermal calorimetry, thermodynamic modelling and UV/Vis spectroscopy, to investigate the thermodynamics of complex formation. Method developments and optimizations combined with thorough data analyses in all these methods enable me to obtain reliable values. Specific combinations of the methods yield insights into what species are formed and in which quantities for a particular sample composition.