The Effect of Nanoclay on the Morphological and Physical Properties of Bitumen/PET/Clay Nanocomposites

Document Type : Article

Authors

1 Civil Engineering Department, International Campus of Sharif University of Technology, Kish Island, Iran

2 Civil Engineering Department, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

3 Chemistry and Process Research Department, Niroo Research Institute, Tehran, Iran

10.24200/sci.2024.61259.7226

Abstract

The Strengthening asphalt and bitumen to increase their service life has received much attention in recent years. In this paper, the effect of nanoclay (NC) on the physical, thermal, and rheological properties of bitumen/waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) composites is investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses showed the intercalated and partially exfoliated structure of NC layers. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra was conducted to evaluate the interactions between NC and bitumen. Morphological observation was performed with a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is used to measure thermal properties. The frequency sweep tests were done by using a dynamic shear rheometer to obtain storage modulus, phase angle, and rutting factor. Penetration, softening point and ductility tests performed to investigate the physical behavior of the samples. The morphological observations and XRD analyses indicated good dispersion of NC in the PET-modified bitumen matrix. Rheological analyses showed an increase in complex modulus of composites with adding of NC. TGA results showed that the presence of NC improved the thermal resistance of nanocomposites. The results showed that the addition of nanoclay and PET to bitumen binder can improve the performance of road pavements and help preserve the environment.

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