Yang Kai, Ye Guang, De Schutter Geert
Department of Structural Engineering and Building Materials, Ghent University, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium.
Department of Materials and Environment (Microlab), Delft University of Technology, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands.
Materials (Basel). 2025 Jun 24;18(13):2996. doi: 10.3390/ma18132996.
The equivalent conductivities of two aqueous silicate species, SiOOH3- and SiO2OH22-, are fundamental to understanding many physico-chemical phenomena of silicate materials in electrolyte solutions. These phenomena include diffusion, adsorption, and phase transformations. But significant inconsistencies have been presented in published equivalent conductivities of the two silicate aqueous ions. Also, little work has so far been undertaken to discuss how aspects, such as temperature and solution composition, may influence electrolytic conductivity of silicate aqueous solutions. This work presents the equivalent conductivities of the two silicate species, measured with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) from 277.85 K to 308.45 K. A conductivity model for mixed electrolytes of high alkaline was first established. This model was then verified with the electrolyte conductivities of NaOH-H2O solutions and NaOH-Na2CO3-H2O solutions. Next, the equivalent conductivities of SiOOH3- and SiO2OH22-, were calculated by solving the overdetermined equation groups for different temperatures, based on electrolyte conductivities of NaOH-Na2SiO3-H2O solutions. The accuracy of both calculations and measurements are examined in depth from various viewpoints. This work presents essential inputs for quantitatively understanding multiple physico-chemical properties of silicate materials in electrolyte solutions.
