UC Irvine

This study focuses on understanding the electrochemical behavior of cement-based materials. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was conducted on various cement-based specimens to reveal how material age, chemical composition, and the incorporation of carbon black nanoparticles and polymeric fibers affect the AC impedance spectra under a wide range of AC probing frequency from 1 Hz to 10 MHz. Through EIS, the frequency-dependent electrical behavior of the cementitious materials was represented by an idealized model circuit consisting of discrete electrical components. Analyzing the circuit model parameters revealed the inner changes of electrical microstructure during the process of hydration. What can be improved in the experiment of this study was discussed at the end of the article.