Effects of crosslinked polycarboxylate superplasticizers with crosslinking agent containing ester and amide groups on the properties of cementitious systems

Herein, crosslinked polycarboxylate superplasticizers were synthesized using acrylic acid, sodium methylallyl sulfonate and methyl polyethylene glycol acrylate as monomers, and monomers that contain either ester or amide groups as crosslinking agents. The superplasticizers that were synthesized from the ester- and amide-based crosslinking agents were respectively denoted as SP-E and SP-N. In addition, a series of performance characterizations were carried out to explore the influence of different functional groups in crosslinking agents on the performance of superplasticizers. Fluidity test results showed that the dispersibility and fluidity retention of cement pastes treated with the SP-E were better than those of cement pastes treated with SP-N. Meanwhile, the viscosity of the sample containing SP-E was lower than that containing SP-N. In addition, the amount of the two superplasticizers that had become adsorbed onto the surfaces of cement particles also differed, and in this case the adsorption capacity of SP-E was greater than that of SP-N. X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy tests showed that the ester-group based SP-E superplasticizers promoted cement hydration to a greater degree than that was achieved with their amide-bearing SP-N counterparts. This study would provide valuable insight for the development of crosslinked polycarboxylate superplasticizers.