Preparation and evaluation of polymer/clay nanocomposite surface treatments for concrete durability enhancement

In this work, the effectiveness of nanocomposite surface treatments as protective systems for concrete substrates was evaluated. The study was carried out on hybrid organic-inorganic systems prepared by solvent intercalation of an organomodified montmorillonite into two commercial resins: a coating and a pore liner. The obtained nanocomposite systems at 2,4 and 6 wt% of nanoclay were applied on concrete substrates and characterized to evaluate their protection performances in comparison with the plain resins. In particular, the effect of the different treatments on liquid and vapor water barrier properties, salt attack resistance, porosity, surfaces water repellency and color changes were analyzed. The results demonstrated that the nanoclay addition can significantly improve the protection effectiveness of both the used plain resins, with chromatic modifications undetectable to the naked eye. However, the extent of the obtained gain strongly depends on the chemical nature and therefore on the mechanisms of action of the matrix. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.