Application of bromocresol purple dye for plaster drying time determination

This paper verified the efficiency in using the acid-base indicator of bromocresol purple (BCP) dye to determine the moment when gypsum plaster reaches the dry state. For this purpose, the materials used were characterized by X-ray diffraction and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We determined the following parameters: workability time, geometric porosity, compressive strength, hardness, and tensile adhesion strength. Two dosages of the indicator, 1.6% and 3.2%, were tested and compared with the reference, and we observed that the addition of the indicator did not change the workability time of the paste. In addition, the values of compressive strength, hardness, and tensile adhesion strength, at the 1.6% dosage, were 6.41 +/- 0.59 MPa, 14.19 +/- 1.08 N.mm(2) and 0.48 +/- 0.24 MPa, respectively. At the 3.2% dosage, the values obtained for those properties were 5.55 +/- 0.67 MPa, 13.81 +/- 0.88 N.mm(2) and 0.46 +/- 0.23 MPa. Moreover, we verified that the BCP indicator can be used to determine the drying of the gypsum plaster coating, either through the analysis of the color change in the sample surface or by using reflectance spectroscopy. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study verified the efficiency of using bromocresol purple (BCP) dye as an acid-base indicator to determine the dry state of gypsum plaster. The addition of the indicator did not affect the workability time of the paste. Different dosages of the indicator resulted in variations in compressive strength, hardness, and tensile adhesion strength of the gypsum plaster.