Abstract
Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB)-modified natural rubber latex/Portland cement paste (CTAB + NL/PC) composites were fabricated by varying the NL/cement and CTAB/cement ratios to improve the elastic property of PC. The stability and workability of the CTAB-modified NL particles in the PC matrix were significantly improved. The microstructure and dielectric property analyses of PC, CTAB/PC, NL/PC, and (CTAB + NL)/PC composites were performed to describe the interaction mechanism between the CTAB-modified NL and PC. The portlandite phase in PC was reduced by incorporating CTAB + NL. Although the tensile strength of NL/PC was significantly increased, its compressive strength also greatly decreased by ~40.3%. The tensile and compressive strengths of CTAB/PC were not significantly improved. Notably, the tensile strength of (CTAB + NL)/PC was significantly increased compared to those of PC, CTAB/PC, and NL/PC, while the depreciated compressive strength was only 18.7%. The optimized compressive–tensile performance of (CTAB + NL)/PC was equal to that of PC. The dielectric constants of NL/PC, CTAB/PC, and (CTAB + NL)/PC were reduced due to the low dielectric constant of NL and the ability of CTAB to capture negative charges in the PC matrix, leading to a reduction in the negative surface charges and hence the interfacial polarization. This result was confirmed by the decreased loss tangent in a low-frequency range, which is usually reduced by decreasing the free charges. This work provides a comprehensive guideline for significantly improving the elastic property of PC while retaining a high compressive strength.
Highlights
Introduction iationsCement materials, which have been used in the construction of buildings, are well known for their high compressive strength
The effects of the combination of the cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and natural rubber latex (NL) content on the density, compressive strength, tensile strength, and dielectric properties of the (CTAB + NL)/PC composites were studied by varying the CTAB/cement and NRL/cement ratios
We found that the density of the (CTAB + NL)/PC composites was significantly decreased when the NL/cement ratio > 5.0%
Summary
Cement materials, which have been used in the construction of buildings, are well known for their high compressive strength. They have a low tensile strength, toughness, flexural strength, and durability, which may be barriers to their use in unique modern structures such as those that can withstand high vibrations. To improve these disadvantages, several studies have focused on the modification of cemented materials with polymeric materials and fiber reinforcement [1,2,3,4,5]. Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and natural rubber latex (NL) have been widely used to improve the physical, mechanical, and Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland
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