Preparation, thermal, spectral and microscopic studies of calcium silicate hydrate-poly(acrylic acid) nanocomposite materials

A series of calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H)-polymer nanocomposite (C-S-HPN) materials were prepared by incorporating poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) into the inorganic layers of C-S-H during precipitation of quasicrystalline C-S-H from aqueous solution. The as-synthesized C-S-BPN materials were characterized by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The XRD analysis of C-S-BPN materials suggest the intermediate organizations presenting intercalation of PAA within C-S-H and exfoliation of C-S-H. The SEM micrographs of C-S-H, PAA and C-S-BPN materials with different PAA contents exhibit the significant differences in their morphologies. The effect of the material's composition on the thermal stability of a series of C-S-HPN materials along with PAA and C-S-H were studied by TG, DTA and DSC. Three significant decomposition temperature ranges were observed on the TG curves of all C-S-HPN materials.