High Internal Phase Pickering Emulsions as Template for Lightweight Foam Cement

Abstract

Styrene high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) with 80 vol.% of water as internal phase was prepared using organophilic laponite as Pickering stabilizer. High volumes of HIPE were admixed separately with cement to prepare macroporous polyHIPE-cement composite via heat driven polymerization. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed a shift in the morphology of the admixed cement with HIPE upon setting in comparison with the pristine cement. It was also confirmed that the polymeric network of HIPE built up an interconnected network structure incorporating the set cement particles and polyHIPE, which is responsible of the developed macrporosity. The compressive strength of the resulting foamed concrete was reasonable even in presence of high extent of macrporosity as compared to similar composite structures admixed with HIPE stabilized by classical surfactants. Interestingly, the presence of polyHIPE network caused limitation of the shrinkage associated with the setting of the cement particles leading to a decrease in the developed cracks with respect to comparable cement samples prepared in absence of these additives.