Abstract This study aims to mitigate thermal cracking in mass concrete, a phenomenon resulting from heat release during cement hydration. To this end, a novel hydration heat inhibitor was prepared by modifying dextrin through esterification and polymerization with acrylic acid. The inhibitor, abundant in hydroxyl and carboxyl groups, is slowly released within cement’s weakly alkaline environment. Once released, it adsorbs onto cement particles, leading to a significant increase in the absolute ζ