Effect of Side Chains and Sulfonic Groups on the Performance of Polycarboxylate-Type Superplasticizers in Concentrated Cement Suspensions

Abstract

Polycarboxylate-type superplasticizers (PCs) containing different side chains and sulfonic groups have been synthesized, and the effect of side chains and sulfonic groups on their performance in cementitious systems has been intensively investigated by measuring zeta potential, thickness of absorption layer, paste fluidity, rheological properties as well as the setting time in this paper. Results show that the PC containing both short poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) side chains and long PEO side chains with the molar ratio of 1:1 has a better dispersibility than the PC containing only short PEO side chains or only long PEO side chains in cement suspensions. The shorter the side chain of the PC, the longer the setting time of cement paste incorporating it. An appropriate increase of sulfonic group content is beneficial for the improvement of dispersibility for the PC and leads to no obvious change for the setting time. It also suggests that there is a geometrical balance between the PEO side chains and sulfonic groups for the performance of PC. This work is not only helpful for understanding the relationship of molecular structure of PCs and their performance, but also further designing optimum molecular structure of PC to meet the requirement in different concrete system.