Methodology for pH measurement in high alkali cementitious systems
File(s)Supporting Information 1 v2.pdf (258.02 KB) pH Paper Revision 3 v2_allchangesaccepted.pdf (300.55 KB)
Supporting information
Accepted version
Author(s)
Traynor, Brian
Uvegi, Hugo
Olivetti, Elsa
Lothenbach, Barbara
Myers, Rupert J
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
A methodology for calibrating pH meters in highly alkaline solutions such as those relevant to cementitious systems is presented. This methodology uses an extended form of the Debye-Hückel equation to generate a calibration curve of pH vs. the measured electrochemical potential (mV) based on a series of aqueous alkali hydroxide solutions of known concentrations. This methodology is compared with the ‘built-in’ process of calibration based upon pH 4, 7, and 10 standard solutions. The built-in calibration process underestimates the real pH values by up to 0.3 log units, which is attributed to the alkali error. A spreadsheet for determining the calibration curve and its application to pH meter readings is provided as Supporting Information. The implications of improperly calibrated pH meters on interpreting solution chemistry in cementitious systems are discussed.
Date Issued
2020-09
Date Acceptance
2020-05-26
Citation
Cement and Concrete Research, 2020, 135, pp.1-6
ISSN
0008-8846
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Start Page
1
End Page
6
Journal / Book Title
Cement and Concrete Research
Volume
135
Copyright Statement
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Sponsor
Scottish Funding Council
Identifier
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0008884619305022?via%3Dihub
Grant Number
PECRE1718/02
Subjects
Building & Construction
0904 Chemical Engineering
0905 Civil Engineering
1202 Building
Publication Status
Published online
Article Number
106122
Date Publish Online
2020-06-02