Preparation, Characterization, and Humidity-Control Performance of Organobentonite/Sodium Polyacrylate Mortar

Abstract

Organobentonite (OBT)/sodium polyacrylate (PAAS) composite material was prepared. The OBT/PAAS humidity-control cement-based mortars were prepared by mixing OBT/PAAS in mortar. Its morphology and structure were characterized by environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method. The results showed that the morphology and humidity-control capacity of OBT/PAAS mortar are superior to those of the original mortar. The OBT/PAAS mortar had larger pore specific surface area and larger pore volume, corresponding to the most probable pore diameter, than that of mortar. There was no chemical reaction between mortar and OBT/PAAS and there was no new crystal structure generated. The prepared, solidified OBT-PAAS mortar can maintain humidity in a desiccator at 38∼62 RH%.

Keywords:

• composite
• humidity-control
• intercalation
• mortar

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support for this research from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China (2011-K1-40), 12th Five Years Key Programs for Science and Technology Development of China (2011BAJ03B11-3) and Opening Project of Key Laboratory for Advanced Building Material of Sichuan Province.