Increasing the metakaolin content of blended cements by cationic latex adsorption: Towards more sustainable concrete
Abstract
Metakaolin (MK) is a promising supplementary cementitious material (SCM) for replacing Portland cement (PC) in concrete due to its wide availability and low carbon footprint. However, achieving high PC substitution levels with MK (≥ 30 wt%) remains a challenge, as elevated MK contents are known to adversely impact workability, hydration kinetics, and the final mechanical properties of concrete. In this study, we demonstrate that cationic latex nanoparticles adsorb strongly onto the surface of MK, resulting in deflocculated MK dispersions that can be incorporated into cement formulations at substitution rates as high as 60 wt% without loss of workability. Although MK is known to trap sulfate anions, MK coated with 1.3 wt% latex is found to be immune to this phenomenon. As a result, the hydration kinetics of formulations containing 60% MK closely match those of pure PC. Remarkably, compressive strengths of mortars with 50–60% MK were comparable to those of PC-based mortars, while formulations containing 30–40% MK exhibited strength increases of 20%. These findings show that cationic latex nanoparticles enable the formulation of high-MK-content cements (up to 60 wt%) with no detrimental effects on workability or hydration, and with improved mechanical performance.
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BibTeX
@article{vallieres2026increasing,
title = {{Increasing the metakaolin content of blended cements by cationic latex adsorption: Towards more sustainable concrete}},
author = {Pierre-Luc Vallières and Cloé Graveline and Kevin Daoust and Jean-Baptiste D’espinose de Lacaillerie and Arezki Tagnit-Hamou and Jerome Claverie},
journal = {Cement and Concrete Research},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.cemconres.2026.108190},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05790922v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Increasing the metakaolin content of blended cements by cationic latex adsorption: Towards more sustainable concrete
AU - Pierre-Luc Vallières
AU - Cloé Graveline
AU - Kevin Daoust
AU - Jean-Baptiste D’espinose de Lacaillerie
AU - Arezki Tagnit-Hamou
AU - Jerome Claverie
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/10
JO - Cement and Concrete Research
DO - 10.1016/j.cemconres.2026.108190
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05790922v1
AB - Metakaolin (MK) is a promising supplementary cementitious material (SCM) for replacing Portland cement (PC) in concrete due to its wide availability and low carbon footprint. However, achieving high PC substitution levels with MK (≥ 30 wt%) remains a challenge, as elevated MK contents are known to adversely impact workability, hydration kinetics, and the final mechanical properties of concrete. In this study, we demonstrate that cationic latex nanoparticles adsorb strongly onto the surface of MK, resulting in deflocculated MK dispersions that can be incorporated into cement formulations at substitution rates as high as 60 wt% without loss of workability. Although MK is known to trap sulfate anions, MK coated with 1.3 wt% latex is found to be immune to this phenomenon. As a result, the hydration kinetics of formulations containing 60% MK closely match those of pure PC. Remarkably, compressive strengths of mortars with 50–60% MK were comparable to those of PC-based mortars, while formulations containing 30–40% MK exhibited strength increases of 20%. These findings show that cationic latex nanoparticles enable the formulation of high-MK-content cements (up to 60 wt%) with no detrimental effects on workability or hydration, and with improved mechanical performance.
SN - 0008-8846
ER -