In this study, a series of polyether-type defoamers for concrete which consist of the same alkyl chain (hydrophobic part) but different polyether chains (hydrophilic part) was prepared, and the structure-property relationship of the defoamers was investigated for the first time. Using oleyl alcohol (OA) as the starting agent (alkyl chain), the polyether defoamers with different polyether chains were prepared by changing the amount and sequence of ethylene oxide (EO) and propylene oxide (PO) units. The properties of different defoamers were tested in aqueous solutions, and fresh and hardened mortars; the structure-property relationship of the defoamers was thus studied. The results indicated that the defoaming capacity of the polyether defoamers decreased with an increased EO amount, and the defoamers linked with both EO and PO units (PO before EO) had a stronger defoaming capacity than those linked with EO only. This study is beneficial for the development and applications of novel synthetic polyether-type defoamers for concrete.
Keywords: air void; bubble; concrete; defoamer; mortar; polyether.