Why permeability to water is anomalously lower than that to many other fluids for cement-based material?

The intrinsic permeability of porous medium is theoretically independent of percolating fluids. While concerning cementitious material, its water permeability is anomalously lower than that to many other fluids. To discover the responsible physical background, the permeability coefficients of two mature white cement mortars are measured using water, isopropanol and nitrogen gas. Their pore structures are also tested on specimens at various states through low-field NMR and MIP methods. It is found that the pore structures of water-saturated mortars are remarkably coarsen due to the contraction of C-S-H gel enforced by water removal through drying or isopropanol exchange. The coarsening of pore structure fundamentally increases the intrinsic permeability by 2–4 orders of magnitudes, which can be approximately quantified through the Katz-Thompson equation. The anomalous low water permeability is physically rooted in the swelling of C-S-H gel specific to water, which is intimately linked to the disjoining pressure of aqueous pore solution.