--- title: "A shot of carbon dioxide rewires how cement sets" url: https://daily.dev/posts/a-shot-of-carbon-dioxide-rewires-how-cement-sets-qn07ljuuk source_url: https://news.mit.edu/2026/carbon-dioxide-rewires-how-cement-sets-0611 type: article source: "MIT News" published: 2026-06-11T16:22:29.457Z updated: 2026-06-11T16:22:53.085Z tags: ["science"] reading_time: 6 upvotes: 0 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # A shot of carbon dioxide rewires how cement sets **[MIT News](https://daily.dev/sources/mit)** · 6 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary MIT researchers used Raman confocal microscopy to directly visualize, for the first time, the chemical sequence triggered when CO₂ is injected into fresh cement paste. The process unfolds in three stages: CO₂ first sequesters calcium as calcium carbonate, causing silicates to form a distributed silica gel network; then, as normal hydration resumes, this gel reacts with calcium hydroxide via a pozzolanic reaction to produce calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) spread uniformly throughout the matrix; finally, the more evenly distributed C-S-H yields a stronger microstructure. Cement mixed with 1% CO₂ by weight achieved 13% higher compressive strength at 24 hours. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Ceramic Society in collaboration with CarbonCure Technologies, also clarify that calcium carbonate crystals are passive bystanders rather than active seeds for C-S-H growth, opening new avenues to optimize CO₂ dosage and potentially offset a meaningful fraction of cement production emissions. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [How cement “breathes in” and stores millions of tons of CO₂ a year](https://daily.dev/posts/how-cement-breathes-in-and-stores-millions-of-tons-of-co-a-year-d1ajwvhut) · MIT News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [X-raying rocks reveals their carbon-storing capacity](https://daily.dev/posts/x-raying-rocks-reveals-their-carbon-storing-capacity-9spxh6glb) · MIT News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Startup brings ancient Roman concrete technology to modern construction](https://daily.dev/posts/startup-brings-ancient-roman-concrete-technology-to-modern-construction-mklo0gfph) · MIT News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Building materials are getting closer to doubling as batteries](https://daily.dev/posts/building-materials-are-getting-closer-to-doubling-as-batteries-wujrcs3wg) · MIT Technology Review · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Carbon reimagined: Strengthening America’s industrial base](https://daily.dev/posts/carbon-reimagined-strengthening-america-s-industrial-base-7h67flamq) · Cisco · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#science](https://daily.dev/tags/science) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/a-shot-of-carbon-dioxide-rewires-how-cement-sets-qn07ljuuk)