Asphalt Modified by Partially Hydrogenated SBS Tri-Block Copolymers

Abstract

Abstract This work examines the modification of asphalt with hydrogenated poly (styrene-butadiene-styrene) copolymer containing different amounts of butadiene and ethylene-co-butylene. The polymer composition can be described generically as poly (styrene−[(butadiene)1−x−(ethylene−co−butylene)x]−styrene), where x is the hydrogenated fraction of the molecule. These hydrogenated (SBEBS) copolymers were produced by in-situ hydrogenation following a Ziegler-Natta catalytic reaction of poly (styrene-butadiene-styrene) tri-block copolymers (SBS), which were previously synthesized by anionic polymerization. Control over the hydrogenation time produces SBEBS polymers with various degrees of saturation of the polybutadiene block, as characterized by FTIR, HNMR, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Polymer-modified asphalts (PMA) were obtained by a high-temperature mixing process with AC-20 asphalt (Salamanca, Mexico) and SBS or SBEBS copolymers. PMA samples were characterized before and after high-temperature storage tests by fluorescence microscopy, rheometry, and mechanical tests. Results indicate that PMA obtained from SBEBS contain a polymer matrix with well-dispersed asphalt rich phase, with improved mechanical and thermal stability over those PMA produced with SBS. Compatibility between SBEBS and the aromatic fraction of maltenes can explain the dispersion of the polymer in asphalt and the enhanced properties.