Experimental investigation of the impact of additives in low clinker cementitious materials on multi-ion transference numbers and diffusion coefficients

In this paper, multi-ion transference numbers were determined throughout the chloride migration testing of low clinker cement-based materials. For this purpose, five cement pastes were studied: pure Portland paste (as a reference) and four other pastes, based on limestone filler, fly ash, slag or silica fume. The transference numbers were calculated from the concentration evolution in the three zones of the migration cell (catholyte, anolyte and sample), considering that: (i) ions moved in the catholyte and anolyte; (ii) ions leached from the sample; (iii) ions were generated from the electrode processes, and (iv) the pore solution of the sample evolved during the test. The chloride transference numbers of pastes with pure Portland cement, limestone filler, fly ash, slag or silica fume are almost zero at the beginning of the migration test but 0.23; 0.18; 0.06; 0.05 and 0.20 at the end of the test, respectively. The ion transference numbers obtained were used for the calculation of diffusion coefficients of chlorides, sodium and potassium using the Nernst-Einstein equation.