Synthesis of new water reducer superplasticizers for building materials

Abstract

This industrial PhD project is focused on the development of new additives called Superplasticizers (SPs) that are particularly interesting for the engineering of construction field. These attracting molecules are organic compounds that are employed for building materials to improve their fresh workability capability and their mechanical properties in the hardened state. Their ability to disperse cement grains is due to their structure: they contain negatively charged functional groups that can interact with the positive charges present on the surface of the cement granules, thus avoiding the collapse of the cement particles and consequently making it fluid. Even if they are added in low quantity, they decrease the amount of needed mixing water and control the setting time without losing fluidity of the pastes, which results in higher strength and better durability of final materials. Dispersants have given an important and fundamental improvement in materials engineering during the last century, in the late twenties the first-generation additives were developed from by-products obtained from the paper firm. Due their important applications in engineering field, research has been focused on the development of new and more performing plasticizers such as naphthalene/melamine sulfonate derivatives and polycarboxylate esters/ethers, that represent the second and third generation of additives. To supply to the growing demand of new and more performing admixtures, the scientists have been pushing forward with breakthroughs in technology and knowledge. This PhD project fits into this contest and its aim is to provide innovative solutions for this framework. At first, we propose a study1,2 to investigate the role of new unconventional plasticizers on concrete, respect to the polymeric counterpart that are currently commercially available. ... [editeb by Author]