Via radical polymerization, three polyurethane-modified polycarboxylate molecules of various comb topologies were synthesized. This study investigated the effects of varying types and concentrations of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) on the surface tension, flowability, and zeta potential of cement. An elevation in the molar ratio between isoamyl alcohol polyoxyethylene (TPEG) and acrylic acid (AA) from 1:1 to 5:1 reduced the surface tension of the polycarboxylate molecule from 47.70 mN/m to 35.53 mN/m and increased flowability from 280 mm to 310 mm, as the results indicated. An increase in the SCM and polycarboxylate dosage proportionally decreased liquid-phase surface tension and increased flowability. A decrease in the water-to-cement (w/c) ratio from 0.5 to 0.3 corresponded to an observed increase in the zeta potential of cement pastes. However, a rise in the quantity of polycarboxylate and SCMs corresponded to a decrease in the zeta potential at a w/c ratio of 0.3.
Keywords: flowability; polycarboxylate; supplementary cementitious materials; surface tension; zeta potential.