Behaviour of air lime-metakaolin mortars modified with polynaphthalene sulfonate as superplasticizer

Abstract

A new range of repair lime mortars were obtained by using as superplasticizer a polynaphthalene sulfonate-based polymer (PNS) and metakaolin as pozzolanic addition. Adsorption isotherms showed that PNS exhibited a high affinity for air lime particles with 52.08 mg•g-1 as maximum sorption capacity in pure air lime media. Mathematical treatment of experimental data showed an optimal adjustment to a Freundlich model, in which interactions arising from multilayer adsorption are taken into account. The experimental results suggested a great interaction of PNS with air lime media (pure air lime or air lime with MK). Zeta potential curves of air lime systems titrated with PNS showed a larger zeta potential reduction, giving rise to a charge reversal, as a consequence of the high anionic charge density of this polymer (2.44 meq of anionic charge•g-1). A flat adsorption was proposed as the attachment model of this admixture, owing to its higher anionic charge density and to its linear shape. The electrostatic repulsion was then the main action mechanism to explain the PNS function. In the hardened state, the combination of PNS and MK resulted sometimes in moderate mechanical strength increases and in a clear enhancement of the durability in the face of freezing-thawing cycles