Mechanical strong and durable cement mortars reinforced by controlling the polymer phase size

The influence of polyvinyl alcohol phase size on the properties of cement mortars has been experimentally investigated. The compressive strength reduced sharply with the increase of polymer phase size. Based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) data, the existence of Al–O–H bonds indicates that there is a moderate crosslink between polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and cement. Mechanical and durability-related properties were compared between PVA grain powder versus PVA solution combined with cementitious matrix. It was found that the mechanical performance of mortars with PVA solution was superior to those with PVA grain powder. Water absorption coefficient was improved with the incorporation of PVA. The water absorption coefficient of mortar with PVA grain powder was lower than that incorporating PVA solution. Finally, the introduction of PVA did not boost the chloride resistance of the material but provided significant enhancement to the freeze-thaw resistance compared to the control group.