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July 11, 2010

Third generation admixtures / poly carboxylic ether

Chemistry and mechanism of Polycarboxylic ether admixture action

It is a new, unique mechanism of action that greatly improves the effectiveness of cement dispersion. Traditional superplasticisers based on melamine and naphthalene sulphonates are polymers which are absorbed by the cement granules.They wrap around the granules' surface areas at the very early stage of the concrete mixing process. The sulphonic groups of the polymer chains increase the negative charge of the cement particle surface and disperse these particles by electrical repulsion. This electrostatic mechanism causes the cement paste to disperse and has the positive consequence of requiring less mixing water to obtain a given concrete workability.
It consists of a carboxylic ether polymer with long side chains. At the beginning of the mixing process it initiates the same electrostatic dispersion mechanism as the traditional superplasticisers, but the side chains linked to the polymer backbone generates a steric hindrance which greatly stabilize the cement particles' ability to separate and disperse. Steric hindrance provides a physical barrier (alongside the electrostatic barrier) between the cement grains. With this process, flowable concrete with greatly reduced water content
is obtained.

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