The Influence of Metallurgical Slag on Properties of Magnesium Sulfoaluminate Cement-Based Coating Materials

Lili Jiang, Bang Liu and Zhenguo Li

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64486/m.65.2.2
Online publication date: October 24, 2025

Abstract: Magnesium sulfoaluminate cement (MSC) can be used as an inorganic ce-ment-based coating material on metal surfaces, which has the advantages of good durability compared with organic coating materials. The effects of metallurgical slag on the fluidity, setting time, strength, and stability of MSC were studied to further enhance the role of the coating material. The hydration products and mi-crostructure of MSC were analyzed by combining X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) testing techniques. The results showed that the slag reduced the fluidity of MSC and shortened their setting time. The incor-poration of slag significantly increased the strength of MSC at 1 day of age while reducing the shrinkage rate of MSC, but the water resistance of MSC decreased with the increase of slag content. XRD and SEM analysis showed that the slag ac-celerated early hydration, generated abundant fine crystals and gels, and reduced structural porosity. This study provides a theoretical basis for subsequent research on inorganic cement-based coating materials for the MSC system.

Keywords: magnesium sulfoaluminate cement; cement-based coating; metallurgical slag; strength; stability

This article is published online first and will appear in Metalurgija, Vol. 65, Issue 2 (2026).