Hydrophobic associated copolymer as synthetic cement retarder
Does a copolymerised hexadecyldimethylpropylmethacrylamide have the ability to act as wide temperature range cement retarder? Seven researchers worked together on this particular question.
The synthetic copolymer was testified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance, thermo gravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. Its temperature induced adaptability indicated that the retarding groups were increasing at elevated temperature.
Excellent retarding properties
The results manifested that the developed hydrophobic associated polymer (PIADH) not only had excellent retarding property, but also was insensitive to its concentration and temperature variations. Meanwhile, it exhibited less impact on the compressive strength of set cement in large temperature difference. Besides, the inclusion of PIADH improved the microstructure of hardened cement, which was conducive to its mechanical property. The effect of PIADH on cement hydration was also investigated by the isothermal heat flow calorimetry and X-ray diffraction, showing that the retardation was achieved through prolonging the induction period and inhibiting the nucleation of portlandite and ettringite crystals.
The study is published in: J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45242.
