Abstract

VARGAS-HERNANDEZ, M.A.  and  VAZQUEZ-TORRES, H.. Rheological characterization and thermal stability of triblock copolymers-modified asphalt reinforced with montmorillonite nanoparticles in physical mixing. Rev. Mex. Ing. Quím [online]. 2015, vol.14, n.2, pp.503-512. ISSN 1665-2738.

Effects of montmorillonite (MMT) on the rheological, thermal stability and morphological properties of triblock copolymer modified asphalts are investigated. Modified asphalts were prepared by successively mixing the clay and SBS, SIS, or SEBS with the asphalt AC-20. Results show that the MMT modified asphalt may form an intercalated or exfoliated structure. MMT increased slightly both the softening point and the viscosity of the modified asphalts at high temperatures. Furthermore, the modified asphalts exhibited a relatively higher complex modulus and, in consequence, displayed enhanced viscoelastic properties, which improve its resistance to rutting at high temperatures. The high-temperature storage property can be increased by improving the compatibility between polymer and asphalt The morphology observed by optical microscopy revealed the better compatibility between triblock asphalt/polymer/MMT, thus influencing the final rheological properties of the studied systems. Indeed, asphalt or asphalt/polymer blends gave a typical terminal relaxation behavior for polymer (G'~ w², G"~ w¹), which is modified by the addition of MMT particles. Furthermore, the activation energy of nanocomposites resulted slightly higher than that of asphalt/polymer blends without MMT.

Keywords : asphalt; montmorillonite; triblock polymers SBS; SIS; SEBS; modified asphalt; rheology; storage stability.

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