Influence of Polycarboxylic Ether Superplasticizer (PCE) on the Absorption Capacity of Sulfate- and Potassium-Based Superabsorbent Polymers (SAPs) for Use in Cement-Based Materials
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2025-05-20
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Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) have a highly hydrophilic network, absorbing and retaining large amounts of water or aqueous solutions, making them useful for internal curing in cement-based materials. Absorption is influenced by the SAPs characteristics, the medium, and the testing method. In many studies reporting on the use of SAPs in cementitious materials, their absorption capacity is usually tested via demineralized water or artificial cement filtrate solution (which does not always include the presence of superplasticizers). PCE-based superplasticizers are among the most used chemical admixtures for concrete, especially when fluid/self-compacting mixtures are produced, and their chemical composition can strongly influence the absorption capacity of different types of SAPs (due to the presence of polymer chains with sulfonic groups (-SO3H)). This study focused on determining the absorption capacity of three commercial SAPs for use as internal curing agents. The absorption capacity was investigated via the tea-bag method, filtration test, and slump-flow test with cement pastes. The chemical composition significantly influenced absorption: SAP A (with higher K2O content) presented lower absorption with the superplasticizer, whereas SAPs B and C (higher SO3) were less impacted because the high polarity favored absorption. The results indicate that the addition of superplasticizers can negatively affect the performance of SAPs in specific applications in civil construction. This impact highlights the need for further investigations into the absorption and desorption mechanisms of SAPs in the presence of these additives, with the aim of optimizing dosing strategies and improving field application methodologies.
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Superabsorbent polymers, Absorption, Tea-bag, Filtration, Slump-flow, Superplasticizer