Innovative Accelerated Curing of Cement Pastes Using Pulsed Electric Fields: Effect of Electric Field Intensities and Water Content on Hydration Kinetics and Compressive Strength

Conventional thermal curing techniques may reduce curing periods but frequently compromise long-term efficacy through microcracking and delayed ettringite proliferation. Pulsed electric field (PEF) processing offers an alternative methodology to expedite the hydration process without the drawbacks of high-temperature curing. In this investigation, cement pastes were formulated with varying water–cement (w/c) ratios (0.20–0.65) and subjected to different electric field intensities ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 kV/cm for durations of up to 50 min. Immediately after PEF treatment, specimens were air-cured at the ambient temperature (25±2°C) for 28 days. Thermal profiles were monitored throughout curing to assess the hydration rate, and 28 day compressive strength evaluations were conducted to quantify the mechanical performance. Supplementary microstructural analyses were executed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to identify potential morphological alterations in the cement matrix arising from PEF. The results indicate that moderate PEF intensities (0.5 kV/cm) with an optimal w/c ratio (0.40–0.45) significantly accelerated early-age hydration rates, reaching thermal peaks approximately 5–6 h prior to those observed for the control specimens (0.0 kV/cm). Under these conditions, increases of up to 20% in the maximum compressive strength (reaching ∼41 MPa at 28 days) were documented compared to conventional curing. Conversely, high electric field intensities (≥1.0 kV/cm) caused excessive thermal escalation (up to ∼89°C for a w/c of 0.20), which gave rise to localized microcracking and attenuated strength at later ages. SEM inspections corroborated these observations, indicating denser hydration products and diminished porosity under optimal PEF conditions, whereas higher field strengths increased the porosity and microfissuring. In essence, the use of PEF under meticulously controlled conditions of field intensity and water content represents an effective, energy-efficient technique for promoting cement hydration. By diminishing the curing period without jeopardizing the long-term characteristics, PEF-enabled curing offers a promising next-generation approach for high-performance cementitious materials. Further investigation is advocated to optimize the field parameters, characterize the long-term durability under realistic environmental conditions, and extend this technique to full-scale concrete constructs.