Performance characteristics of polymer cement mortars

This paper presents a series of experimental investigations on the microstructure, mechanical, thermal and dielectric, properties of Polymer Cement Mortars (PCMs). Liquid styrene and acrylic (SA) monomers, wollastonite and muscovite are added to improve the thermal and electrical insulation properties. Particular focus is given to the optimised mix design and the effect of the manufacturing method on the performance of PCMs. The microstructural investigations along with the mechanical and dielectric strength tests indicate a significant influence of manufacturing method on the insulating properties of PCMs. The test results also show that the polymer components greatly reduce the dielectric loss of PCMs compared to conventional concrete. Additional experiments highlight that PCM has better thermal stability and thermal conductivity compared to other types of commonly used insulating materials, suggesting that PCMs have appropriate properties for application as insulating components. The mechanical test results show that PCMs possess the compressive and tensile strengths of structural elements, indicating potential applications of such composite as cable coatings, repair grout or textile reinforced overlays.