Carbonation Induced Structural Changes in Soil-Based Alkali-Activated Binders | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Carbonation Induced Structural Changes in Soil-Based Alkali-Activated Binders Sheetal Jain, Nikita Rao, Pitabash Sahoo, P.S.V.R.A. Kishor, Adarsh Pathiyath, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6428163/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Alkali activated binders (AABs) are low-carbon footprint alternatives to ordinary Portland cement. Accelerated carbonation can further reduce CO 2 emission while enhancing the binding properties of AABs. We used solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in combination with X-ray diffraction, Infrared spectroscopy, and density functional theory to track local structural changes as a function of material precursors, and carbonation of AABs in their physiological conditions. 27 Al and 29 Si solid-state NMR show a carbonation-induced conversion of Al(IV) to Al(VI) sites along with increased branching and disorder in soil containing AABs. Analysis of 1 H- 27 Al and 29 Si- 27 Al heteronuclear correlation NMR spectra provides details on the carbonation-prone Al-sites and their impact on the neighboring Si sites. Density functional theory calculations confirm the stability of the nuclear magnetic resonance predicted Al-sites. 23 Na and 43 Ca solid-state NMR reveal hydration layer variation and metal carbonate formation as a crucial step in carbon sequestration. This study offers insights into the carbon sequestration in AABs and its impact on the local structures critical to their binding properties. Physical sciences/Materials science/Structural materials/Composites Physical sciences/Chemistry/Analytical chemistry/NMR spectroscopy/Solid-state NMR Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SIAAMCarbonationv1.pdf Carbonation Induced Structural Changes in Soil-Based Alkali-Activated Binders Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6428163","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":448187219,"identity":"6cc12467-2903-44de-a5e7-954a33716070","order_by":0,"name":"Sheetal Jain","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAqUlEQVRIie2PoQrDMBCGfxi0JhAb11e4vdGFQFRF5VSpqirsdSYDtZ2fbE1VzdwGE2vHHuDqBrsPjhDIx30BFOUXMfAj0/fCQiXQbiVz+7qKLs2nsaoL5P2I6SJQ6NrEG1N/bEwk+EGiWGxKYqAEfCsJOyNWTDXDLkIFaxiYDgwn3UJDCm77S+tmSrKwrvT3x6surA3T9BSFwfDnyNZJIgHIpQ8VRVH+ljchszGuBLq61QAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Science","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sheetal","middleName":"","lastName":"Jain","suffix":""},{"id":448187220,"identity":"a3d8b5bb-a46e-4c98-b3b4-0c4eff8aaf6c","order_by":1,"name":"Nikita Rao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Science","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nikita","middleName":"","lastName":"Rao","suffix":""},{"id":448187221,"identity":"5d418328-dd84-4243-8cf9-f7d90d1edb4f","order_by":2,"name":"Pitabash Sahoo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Science","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Pitabash","middleName":"","lastName":"Sahoo","suffix":""},{"id":448187222,"identity":"5b17387d-da2c-497a-a952-46c904b93b43","order_by":3,"name":"P.S.V.R.A. 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