## 2 Materials and Methods
### Mortar Characterization
In accordance with the standard, height loss was quantified at six points per specimen after undergoing four test cycles (each of 22 revolutions), in which the specimen was progressively rotated 90\({}^{\circ}\) after the end of each cycle. A total of 16 cycles were assessed, monitoring the height loss. After curing and drying of the mortars, they were subjected to simultaneous DTA/TG (SETSYS Evolution, Setaram Instrumentation, Caluire, France) to analyze the formed phases. During these measurements, powdered samples (30 mg) were heated at a constant rate of 10 \({}^{\circ}\)C/min in air until reaching 700 \({}^{\circ}\)C.  
The pH of both cured mortars and dried mortars was assessed on the surface of samples and in their inner part. The pH of the flat surface was directly measured using a pH electrode (EXTECH PH100, EXTECH, Nashua, NH, USA). For the inner parts, the methodology outlined in ASTM D 4972-01 was followed. Powder samples were obtained from the center of broken compression samples and dissolved in distilled water (5 g of solid material in 5 mL of water). After 1 h, the pH of the suspension was measured using the same pH electrode. In the case of dried mortars, the pH of the oxidated region was also assessed following the same procedure. Measurements were always conducted in triplicate. Experimental methods developed for chloride diffusion evaluation can be categorized into two groups: natural diffusion tests and migration tests. Natural diffusion tests are time-consuming, but they are closer to real applications [43]. Electrical methods try to accelerate the process by applying electrical fields, but confusing information can be obtained in materials with high hydroxyl concentrations, as these anions also migrate, interfering with the chloride transport. Hence, a chloride transport test that does not involve current was chosen in this study. To obtain information about chloride transport into the mortars, cylindrical samples of 60 mm high and 60 mm diameter were manufactured to carry out the chloride transport test. For this test, the surface of cured samples (except the circular bases) was covered with an isolating epoxy resin. Then, the samples were immersed in 3 M NaCl solution at 23 \(\pm\) 2 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 35 days (Figure 1a), following the procedure described in the ASTM C1556-04 standard. After the exposure, the cylindrical specimens were broken, and powders were extracted at different distances from the non-coated circular surface of the mortar through which the chlorides had unidirectionally penetrated from the solution (Figure 1b). The amount of water-soluble chlorides in the samples obtained from the different mortars at different depths were determined according to the UNE 83,989 standard. Twelve milliliters of distilled water were added to 1.2 g of powder, and they were mixed under constant stirring at 1200 rpm. The chloride concentrations were determined with the chloride selective electrode Imacimus 2(Figure 1c, NT Sensors, Vila-seca, Spain). The sensor combined a chloride selective electrode and a pH electrode, being previously calibrated, taking into account both parameters to improve accuracy. This study was carried out in quadruplicate. In the analysis of the experimental data carried out hereafter, the criterion that results whose experimental errors bars overlap are statistically similar is followed. This approach allows identifying differences in the average values that are, in fact, due to experimental dispersion.