Incorporation mechanism of titanium in Portland cement clinker and its effects on hydration properties

•Ti was preferentially incorporated in C4AF followed by C3A, C2S and C3S.•The crystal pattern of C3A translated into orthorhombic from cubic as the TiO2 dosage reached to 1.5%.•TiO2 promoted the hydraulic activity of clinker in initial period. Titanium is a trace element that might be introduced by industrial wastes to the cement kilns. In this study, the effect of TiO2 on cement clinker phase formation, ion substitution as well as hydration properties were evaluated by free lime test, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS), isothermal heat-conduction and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Results indicated that titanium was preferentially incorporated in the interstitial phases, especially in C4AF, then C3A, C2S and C3S, which could be attributed to the lattice substitution of Ti4+ to Fe3+ in C4AF and consequently weakened its crystallinity. Meanwhile, the threshold limit for TiO2 incorporated into clinker was 1.5wt%, beyond which, the crystal form of C3A transformed from cubic to orthorhombic. These changes of C3A and C4AF promoted the formation of C3S by decreasing the liquid phase viscosity during the sintering process. TiO2-doped promoted the hydraulic activity of clinker in initial period while postponed the hydration process of C3S in later period. However, after 28days hydration, C–S–H gel polymerization degree did not decrease but improved as the TiO2 dosage was below 1.5wt%.