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Improving rubber concrete strength and toughness by plasma‐induced end‐of‐life tire rubber surface modification
Author(s) -
Nisticò Roberto,
Lavagna Luca,
Boot Elisa A.,
Ivanchenko Pavlo,
Lorusso Massimo,
Bosia Federico,
Pugno Nicola M.,
D'Angelo Domenico,
Pavese Matteo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plasma processes and polymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1612-8869
pISSN - 1612-8850
DOI - 10.1002/ppap.202100081
Subject(s) - natural rubber , materials science , composite material , toughness , portland cement , surface roughness , flexural strength , surface modification , cement , chemical engineering , engineering
This study evaluates the effectiveness of using different plasma treatments to favor the compatibility between rubber and a cement matrix in composites, thus leading to a different surface reactivity of the rubber component. Plasma‐treated rubbers were introduced into two different types of concrete. Mechanical tests highlighted that Portland concrete composites filled with N 2 /H 2 plasma‐treated rubber had increased flexural strength, toughness, and compression strength compared to composites containing untreated rubber. A scaling law is also proposed to qualitatively discriminate between related effects due to topological/roughness or intrinsic/chemical adhesion modifications. Plasma treatment can improve both intrinsic adhesion and roughness of the rubber–cement interface and thus the overall concrete strength and toughness.