Effects of viscosity-reducing and early-strength-enhancing polycarboxylate superplasticiser on cement-based materials with 50% GGBFS

The advantages and disadvantages of cement-based materials with high-volume ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS) are known. The two disadvantages of higher viscosity and lower early strength have still not been well solved in common practice. In order to improve both the viscosity and early strength of cement-based materials with high-volume GGBFS simultaneously, a new polycarboxylate copolymer molecular structure was developed, which was characterised by the synergistic effects of acrylic acid, sodium allylsulfonate and acryl amide as the backbone, and isoamyl alcohol polyoxyethylene ether as the long side chain. Its efficiencies in cement-based materials with 50% GGBFS were investigated by measuring the rheological properties, hydration exothermic characteristics, and compressive strength at early ages. Compared with conventional ether-type and ester-type polycarboxylate superplasticisers, the application performances indicate that this developed superplasticiser has obvious viscosity-reducing, early-strength-enhancing effects and similar dispersibility.