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A direct characterization of interfacial interaction between asphalt binder and mineral fillers by atomic force microscopy

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Abstract

The property of asphalt mastic directly affects the service performance of asphalt mixtures and pavements. Previous studies have demonstrated that the interaction between asphalt binder and mineral fillers has a significant effect on the performance of asphalt mastics. However, the interaction hasn’t been characterized by direct tests. In this study, an adsorption–separation test of asphalt binder on surface of mineral fillers was conducted to separate the structure asphalt binder and free asphalt binder. Atomic force microscope (AFM) PeakForce QNM mode was used to characterize the morphology and mechanical property of asphalt binder at different distances to filler surface. Results show that the effected thickness of binder–filler interaction was around 1 μm. Within this specific thickness, the “bee” structure of asphalt surface disappears gradually, and the modulus increases significantly when the tested samples are closer to the aggregate surface.

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Funding

This study was funded by Natural Science Foundation of Beijing, China (Grant Number: 8174071), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant Number: 2016M600926) and National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China (Grant Number: 51225803).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for Materials Service Safety, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China

    Meng Guo & Yue Hou

  2. School of Transportation Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Nangang District, Harbin, 150090, Heilongjiang, China

    Yiqiu Tan

  3. Center of Analysis and Measurement, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Nangang District, Harbin, 150001, Heilongjiang, China

    Jianxin Yu

  4. Joint USTB-Virginia Tech Lab on Multifunctional Materials, USTB, Beijing, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Linbing Wang

Authors
  1. Meng Guo
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  2. Yiqiu Tan
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  3. Jianxin Yu
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  4. Yue Hou
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Correspondence to Yiqiu Tan.

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Guo, M., Tan, Y., Yu, J. et al. A direct characterization of interfacial interaction between asphalt binder and mineral fillers by atomic force microscopy. Mater Struct 50, 141 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-017-1015-9

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