Premium
High temperature AFM study of CAP 30/45 pen grade bitumen
Author(s) -
DE MORAES M.B.,
PEREIRA R.B.,
SIMÃO R.A.,
LEITE L.F.M.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of microscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2818
pISSN - 0022-2720
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2818.2009.03354.x
Subject(s) - asphalt , microstructure , atomic force microscopy , nucleation , phase (matter) , materials science , thermal , morphology (biology) , oscillation (cell signaling) , composite material , amplitude , analytical chemistry (journal) , mineralogy , chemistry , thermodynamics , nanotechnology , optics , geology , chromatography , physics , paleontology , biochemistry , organic chemistry
Summary Bitumen is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons for which microstructural understanding is incomplete. In an effort to detail this microstructure, a asphalt cement sample (CAP 30/45) was analysed by thermal phase detection atomic force microscopy. Phase contrast and topography images showed that sample morphology is highly dependent on temperature. The ‘bee structure’ changed considerably at temperatures between 50°C and 56°C. A decrease of the oscillation amplitude was observed upon heating and the ‘bees’ completely disappeared at temperatures above 57°C. When the temperature was decreased after melting at 170°C, the ‘bees’ began to nucleate gradually at temperatures of 57°C and its evolution with time was followed. Changes in morphology were compared to thermal analysis results and a model for the ‘bee’ structure was proposed.