Synthesis of a New Polycarboxylate at Room Temperature and Its Influence on the Properties of Cement Pastes with Different Supplementary Cementitious Materials

Three polycarboxylates with different comb structures (i.e., the same degree of polymerization in side chains but different main chains) were synthesized via radical polymerization reaction at room temperature. The effect of polycarboxylates on the surface tension and the flowability in cement pastes was determined. The best product was selected to study its effects on the hydration heat evolution, compressive strength, autogenous shrinkage, and drying shrinkage of cement pastes with different kinds and contents of supplementary cementitious materials. The results showed that with the increase of molar ratio between AA and TPEG to 6 : 1, we could synthesis the best product. When the water-binder ratio was 0.4, with the increase of polycarboxylates, the cement hydration heat evolution had been slowed down, and the more the dosage was, the more obvious the effect was. Adding supplementary cementitious materials to cement under the same experimental conditions also played a mitigation role in slowing down the hydration heat. When the water-binder ratio was 0.3, supplementary cementitious materials could increase the strength of cement by 24.5% in maximum; its autogenous shrinkage and drying shrinkage could be decreased, respectively, by 60.1% and 21.9% in the lowest.

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