Articles
  • Physical properties of polymer-modified cement mortars by the functional additives and modification of polymerization
  • Jeong-Bae Lee*, Seung-Ho Park and Seong-Soo Kim
  • Department of Civil Engineering, Daejin University, 1007 Hoguk-ro, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea
Abstract
Both polymerization modification and the use of functional additives for controlling air entrainment inside a polymer were examined for improving their performance in cement matrices. Functional additives were added to acrylic redispersible polymer powders at a glass-transition temperature of −11 oC, and the polymerization method was modified. The physical properties of cement mortars produced with these polymers were evaluated. The performance improved and the average polymer-particle size decreased when using the modified emulsion polymerization method, while the air content in the polymer cement mortars decreased with the use of defoamer as a functional additive. Moreover, better compressive, flexural, and adhesion strengths were achieved, and the use of polymers with improved performance resulted in enhanced waterproofing. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy confirmed the formation of carbon-based polymer films around the pores and cracks inside the cement mortars.

Keywords: Redispersible polymer powder, Polymerization modification, Functional additives.

This Article

  • 2017; 18(3): 220-229

    Published on Mar 31, 2017

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