Effect of crosslinked polycarboxylate superplasticizers with varied structures on cement dispersion performance

Abstract In order to investigate the effect of double bond content in the crosslinkers on the performance of superplasticizers, three different crosslinked polycarboxylate superplasticizers were synthesized herein with various respective crosslinkers. Their impacts on the fluidity, absorption, and hydration behavior of cement systems were studied. The results showed that the polymer, which was synthesized using a crosslinker with four double bonds and five/six double bonds, had higher fluidity and the highest fluidity reached up to 395 mm at W/C of 0.35. Additionally, thermogravimetric analysis and hydration heat tests showed that the crosslinked polycarboxylate superplasticizers could prolong the hydration process of cement slurries. Among these three kinds of crosslinked polycarboxylate superplasticizers, the induction period of cement slurry containing the polymer with crosslinker of four double bonds was significantly extended to facilitate the processing of the concrete. The purpose of this study is to provide strategies for studying high‐performance polycarboxylate superplasticizers with novel topological structure.