Poly(aspartic acid) superabsorbent polymers as biobased and biodegradable additives for self-sealing of cementitious mortar

Abstract

Concrete is currently the most used man-made construction material. Unfortunately it is prone to defects, such as cracks. Crack repair is possible by incorporation of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) which can fill a crack by swelling and promote formation of healing products. However, SAPs are usually acrylate-based and not biodegradable. Present work focuses on development of SAPs based on poly(aspartic acid) (PASP), which is a biobased and biodegradable alternative of acrylate-based polymers. The developed SAP was incorporated in mortar and the effect on the mortar properties was studied. When adding 1 m% SAP, a decrease in strength was observed, similar to commercially available acrylate-based SAPs. The SAPs showed an efficient and immediate sealing effect in cracked mortar, reflected by a reduction in water permeability over 50%. Hence, the developed biobased SAP shows good sealing properties and could be used as a sustainable alternative for acrylic SAPs in concrete repair.

Keywords:

• poly(aspartic acid)
• superabsorbent polymers
• sustainable
• cementitious materials
• self-sealing

Acknowledgements

This research was carried out in the framework of project ‘GREENER’. Project ‘GREENER’ is financed by the Interreg V program Flanders-The Netherlands, the cross-border collaboration with financial support of the European Fund for Regional Development with co-financing from province East Flanders and the Ministry of Economical Affaires and Climate (The Netherlands). More information: www.grensregio.eu.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland and province Oost-Vlaanderen (Belgium).