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Abstract
Slag fiber with desirable properties is a promising candidate for applications as fillers or reinforced materials. Its poor dispersion in bulk materials, however, becomes the major challenge. Some aspects of its physicochemical properties were focused upon in the present article. The effect of three kinds of dispersants, viz., sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), anionic polyacrylamide (APAM), and cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM), as well as their combinations on the dispersion of slag fiber in aqueous solution was investigated. The viscosities of fiber suspensions were measured and the results were correlated with the dispersion of suspensions. It was shown that the slag fiber appeared amorphous, smooth surface with high length/diameter (L/d) ratio and negatively charged in water. The dispersion of slag fiber in aqueous solution directly depended on the dispersants. The optimal uniform and stable fiber suspension could be achieved under the dispersant concentration of the combination of 2 wt% CMC and 0.25 wt% APAM. In this case, the fiber concentration was as large as 25 g/L. In addition, the plausible dispersion mechanism of slag fiber in aqueous solutions was elucidated based on the electrostatic steric stabilization.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to thank Professor S. Seetharaman for critically reviewing the manuscript and for valuable suggestions.