Rheological study of interactions between MHEC and superplasticizers in aqueous solutions for applications in cement industry

Innovative cement-based materials are characterized today by rather complex formulations. In particular, when cement pastes are considered, their formulation generally includes two different types of polymers: a rheology modifier (RM) (typically a cellulose derivative), which is used to control the viscosity of the system, and a superplasticizer (SP), which is used as an anti-flocculant for the solid phase suspension. Owing to the polar nature of both polymer and solvent (water), chemico-physical interactions between the two polymers are expected. In this work, the rheology of aqueous solutions containing RMs and different types of SPs is studied. Solutions of the two components are prepared by respecting their relative proportions in the final cement formulations. Their behavior is studied by using rotational rheometry and performing viscosity and viscoelasticity measurements.