Performance of cement-based materials incorporating ultra-fine copper slag.

• Ultra-fine CS was fabricated by wet-grinding method for the first time. • The 7 and 28 d SAI of ultra-fine CS can reach 106% and 102%, respectively. • Ultra-fine CS can be used as a high-quality alternative cementitious material. The application of copper slag (CS) as a supplementary cementitious material in concrete is unsatisfactory due to the fact that CS is mainly composed of fayalite. The dissolution kinetics of fayalite determines the pozzolanic activity of CS. How to improve the dissolution of fayalite is a challenge for CS resource utilization. To address this issue, ultra-fine CS with different fineness was fabricated by wet-grinding method for the first time in this work and the performance of cement-based materials incorporating ultra-fine CS was assessed. Results revealed that an increase in CS fineness significantly promoted the decomposition of fayalite to improve the mechanical strength of mortars. The 7 d and 28 d strength activity index of ultra-fine CS can reach 106% and 102%, respectively, which has seldom been reported in the literature. Although ultra-fine CS can significantly accelerate the hydration process at the very beginning of reaction to form more hydrates, the early-age pozzolanic activity was still not ideal. The prepared ultra-fine CS exhibited good later-age pozzolanic activity, which can consume more portlandite and generate more hydrates, resulting in a denser microstructure. These results indicated that ultra-fine CS can be used as a high-quality alternative cementitious material to improve the greenness of cement and concrete products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]