Research progress on the setting time and solidification mechanism of magnesium phosphate cement: A review

As a low-carbon and good-performance cementitious material, magnesium phosphate cement (MPC) has been widely studied in recent years. However, excessively rapid setting and hardening has been the main reason limiting the engineering applications of MPC. Therefore, this paper presents a comprehensive literature review of 146 papers published from 1970 to 2023 in which we analyzed the effects of raw material properties and ratios, temperature variations, retarder and admixture contents on the setting time of MPC-based materials, and we summarized the approaches to regulating the solidification and hardening of MPC. More importantly, this paper focuses on the mechanism of the effects of mixing proportion and the admixtures on the solidification and hardening of MPC. Finally, this paper suggests research directions about MPC’s setting that are worth investigating in the future. This review enables scholars and engineers to have a clearer understanding of the solidification process of MPC. As such, this review serves as a valuable reference for advancing the field of MPC.