Engineering Characteristics of Cement Composites Containing a Chitosan-Based Polymer and Steel Slag Aggregates

Recently, sustainable development has attracted significant global attention. Toward this, several studies have been performed on the development of alternative aggregates for mortar or concrete to prevent environmental damage and rapid depletion of natural aggregates. In this study, we investigated the applicability of a chitosan-based polymer (CBP), a biomimetic polymer, to cement mortar using steel slag as a fine aggregate. The CBP was synthesized via an amide coupling reaction among chitosan, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride, and 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propionic acid. Upon addition to cement mortar using natural sand or a blast furnace slag aggregate, the CBP contributed toward increasing the compressive strength and tensile strength. However, in mortar mixes using a ferronickel slag aggregate, the tensile strength decreased by ~5.7-25.4% upon CBP addition. Moreover, the CBP reduced the total charge passed through the mixes. In particular, in the mortar mix using the steel slag aggregate, the CBP showed improved chloride-ion penetration resistance. The results showed that the as-prepared CBP was a suitable improving agent and exhibited promising compatibility with cement composites containing steel slag aggregates.

Automated summary

This study investigated the feasibility of using a chitosan-based polymer (CBP) as a sustainable material in cement mortar. The results showed that the CBP enhanced the compressive strength and tensile strength of the mortar, except when a ferronickel slag aggregate was used. Additionally, the CBP reduced the total charge passed through the mortar mixes and improved chloride-ion penetration resistance when a steel slag aggregate was used.