Effect of the Alkyl Density of Acrylic Acid Ester on the Viscosity-Reducing Effect of Polycarboxylate Superplasticizer
Concrete is vital for the development of modern buildings. However, they suffer from the high viscosity problem in their application process due to the use of a low water–cement ratio in order to maintain their high strength. Developing PCEs with the presence of ester functional groups in their mole...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-10-01
|
| Series: | Molecules |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/21/7293 |
| _version_ | 1827765595061354496 |
|---|---|
| author | Yingying Chen Yujie Chen Yuan Liu Jia Tao Runxia Liu Ziwei Li Fei Liu Min Li |
| author_facet | Yingying Chen Yujie Chen Yuan Liu Jia Tao Runxia Liu Ziwei Li Fei Liu Min Li |
| author_sort | Yingying Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Concrete is vital for the development of modern buildings. However, they suffer from the high viscosity problem in their application process due to the use of a low water–cement ratio in order to maintain their high strength. Developing PCEs with the presence of ester functional groups in their molecular structure is one of the most effective measures to improve the flowability of concrete. Here, three PCEs with different alkyl densities of acrylic acid ester: PCE-M, PCE-E, and PCE-B were designed to explore their viscosity-reducing effect on the performance of cement and concrete. The structures of the three PCEs were characterized via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (<sup>1</sup>H NMR), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Their properties were also determined via zeta potential, surface tension, and rheological experiments. It was found that PCE-M had the best performance, with the lowest surface tension, highest zeta potential, and therefore highest charge density on the cement particles, lowest viscosity, and highest flowability of cement paste, and exhibited the best performance of concrete in terms of workability. The best performance of PCE-M in reducing the viscosity of cement and concrete can be ascribed to the smallest amount of water-repellent alkyl groups, enhancing the electrostatic repulsion and reducing the viscosity, thereby boosting the dispersion and stabilization of cement pastes and concrete. This study shed lights on designing other PCEs with high viscosity-reducing effects via an ester group control. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T11:25:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e68b45a1c7144f74b7bcaf6b979142fa |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T11:25:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-e68b45a1c7144f74b7bcaf6b979142fa2023-11-10T15:08:31ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492023-10-012821729310.3390/molecules28217293Effect of the Alkyl Density of Acrylic Acid Ester on the Viscosity-Reducing Effect of Polycarboxylate SuperplasticizerYingying Chen0Yujie Chen1Yuan Liu2Jia Tao3Runxia Liu4Ziwei Li5Fei Liu6Min Li7Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory of Green Chemical and Clean Energy Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, ChinaGuizhou Provincial Key Laboratory of Green Chemical and Clean Energy Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, ChinaChina Railway Fifth Bureau Group Co., Ltd., Guiyang 550003, ChinaChina Railway Fifth Bureau Group Co., Ltd., Guiyang 550003, ChinaChina Railway Fifth Bureau Group Co., Ltd., Guiyang 550003, ChinaGuizhou Provincial Key Laboratory of Green Chemical and Clean Energy Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, ChinaGuizhou Provincial Key Laboratory of Green Chemical and Clean Energy Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, ChinaGuizhou Provincial Key Laboratory of Green Chemical and Clean Energy Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, ChinaConcrete is vital for the development of modern buildings. However, they suffer from the high viscosity problem in their application process due to the use of a low water–cement ratio in order to maintain their high strength. Developing PCEs with the presence of ester functional groups in their molecular structure is one of the most effective measures to improve the flowability of concrete. Here, three PCEs with different alkyl densities of acrylic acid ester: PCE-M, PCE-E, and PCE-B were designed to explore their viscosity-reducing effect on the performance of cement and concrete. The structures of the three PCEs were characterized via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (<sup>1</sup>H NMR), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Their properties were also determined via zeta potential, surface tension, and rheological experiments. It was found that PCE-M had the best performance, with the lowest surface tension, highest zeta potential, and therefore highest charge density on the cement particles, lowest viscosity, and highest flowability of cement paste, and exhibited the best performance of concrete in terms of workability. The best performance of PCE-M in reducing the viscosity of cement and concrete can be ascribed to the smallest amount of water-repellent alkyl groups, enhancing the electrostatic repulsion and reducing the viscosity, thereby boosting the dispersion and stabilization of cement pastes and concrete. This study shed lights on designing other PCEs with high viscosity-reducing effects via an ester group control.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/21/7293polycarboxylate superplasticizeracrylic acid esterviscosity-reducing effectmethyl acrylatecement pastesconcrete |
| spellingShingle | Yingying Chen Yujie Chen Yuan Liu Jia Tao Runxia Liu Ziwei Li Fei Liu Min Li Effect of the Alkyl Density of Acrylic Acid Ester on the Viscosity-Reducing Effect of Polycarboxylate Superplasticizer Molecules polycarboxylate superplasticizer acrylic acid ester viscosity-reducing effect methyl acrylate cement pastes concrete |
| title | Effect of the Alkyl Density of Acrylic Acid Ester on the Viscosity-Reducing Effect of Polycarboxylate Superplasticizer |
| title_full | Effect of the Alkyl Density of Acrylic Acid Ester on the Viscosity-Reducing Effect of Polycarboxylate Superplasticizer |
| title_fullStr | Effect of the Alkyl Density of Acrylic Acid Ester on the Viscosity-Reducing Effect of Polycarboxylate Superplasticizer |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of the Alkyl Density of Acrylic Acid Ester on the Viscosity-Reducing Effect of Polycarboxylate Superplasticizer |
| title_short | Effect of the Alkyl Density of Acrylic Acid Ester on the Viscosity-Reducing Effect of Polycarboxylate Superplasticizer |
| title_sort | effect of the alkyl density of acrylic acid ester on the viscosity reducing effect of polycarboxylate superplasticizer |
| topic | polycarboxylate superplasticizer acrylic acid ester viscosity-reducing effect methyl acrylate cement pastes concrete |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/21/7293 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yingyingchen effectofthealkyldensityofacrylicacidesterontheviscosityreducingeffectofpolycarboxylatesuperplasticizer AT yujiechen effectofthealkyldensityofacrylicacidesterontheviscosityreducingeffectofpolycarboxylatesuperplasticizer AT yuanliu effectofthealkyldensityofacrylicacidesterontheviscosityreducingeffectofpolycarboxylatesuperplasticizer AT jiatao effectofthealkyldensityofacrylicacidesterontheviscosityreducingeffectofpolycarboxylatesuperplasticizer AT runxialiu effectofthealkyldensityofacrylicacidesterontheviscosityreducingeffectofpolycarboxylatesuperplasticizer AT ziweili effectofthealkyldensityofacrylicacidesterontheviscosityreducingeffectofpolycarboxylatesuperplasticizer AT feiliu effectofthealkyldensityofacrylicacidesterontheviscosityreducingeffectofpolycarboxylatesuperplasticizer AT minli effectofthealkyldensityofacrylicacidesterontheviscosityreducingeffectofpolycarboxylatesuperplasticizer |