Abstract
The microstructure of bitumen is responsible for the rheological properties and pavement performance, the change of microstructure had a significant impact on the bitumen behavior. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) technology has a great advantage on microstructure analysis and the microstructure had been proven to be a unique and reproducible property of a bitumen, but the challenge in applying AFM technology is to obtain samples which can reflect the true microstructure of bitumen. The paper mainly investigated the sample preparation, probe selection, and the structural characterization of the bitumen at the nanoscale by AFM. The results showed that molding method can guarantee the reproducibility and stability of sample and the AFM images obtained could reflect true microstructure of bitumen. According to basic modulus principle, nominal spring constant of AFM probe should be lower than 5 N/m at room temperature in tapping-mode. In addition, AFM cantilever material with back coating was recommended as results of the opacity of bitumen. “Bee-shaped” structure with several micrometers in length and 47–55 nanometers in height randomly distributing presented in base bitumen and SBS modified bitumen, the results were in agreement with previous studies. Although many studies reported the component of bee-shaped structure, it still remained unclear at present.
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