Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40942041›Full record

ArticleMolecules (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Dispersed and Co-Continuous Morphologies of Epoxy Asphalt Bond Coats and Their Effects on Mechanical Performance.

Suzhou Cao, Haocheng Yang, Xinpeng Cui, Zhonghua Xi, Jun Cai, Junsheng Zhang, Hongfeng Xie

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Suzhou CaoMOE Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
Haocheng YangMOE Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
Xinpeng CuiMOE Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
Zhonghua XiExperimental Chemistry Teaching Center, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
Jun CaiPublic Instrument Center, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
Junsheng ZhangMOE Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
Hongfeng XieMOE Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.ORCID 0000-0002-3612-0464

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The co-continuous microstructure represents an ideal configuration for polymer-modified asphalts. Consequently, determining the optimum polymer content hinges on establishing this critical network between polymer and bitumen. In this study, epoxy asphalt bond coats (EABCs) exhibiting three distinct morphologies (epoxy-dispersed, co-continuous, and bitumen-dispersed) were prepared. Phase structure evolution and the final cured morphology were analyzed using a laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM). Rotational viscosity-time characteristics, tensile properties, single-lap shear strength, and pull-off adhesion strength were characterized using various techniques. Results indicated that the viscosity of EABCs at the late stage of the curing reaction increased with increasing epoxy resin (ER) concentration, whereas the time required for EABCs to reach a viscosity of 5 Pa·s decreased. LSCM analysis revealed that EABCs exhibited three distinct morphologies dependent on ER concentration: (1) a bitumen-continuous morphology with dispersed epoxy domains (41-42 vol.% ER) formed via a nucleation and growth mechanism; (2) a co-continuous structure (43-45 vol.% ER); and (3) an epoxy-continuous structure with dispersed bitumen domains (46 vol.% ER). Furthermore, the EABC with 42 vol.% exhibited a transitional morphology between bitumen-continuous and co-continuous structures. A significant improvement in mechanical properties occurred during the transition from the bitumen-continuous (41 vol.% ER) to the co-continuous morphology (43 vol.% ER): tensile strength, elongation at break, and toughness increased by 524%, 1298%, and 2732%, respectively. Simultaneously, pull-off adhesion strength and single-lap shear strength rose by 61% and 99%, respectively. In contrast, mechanical properties increased only gradually during the co-continuous phase and the subsequent transition to an epoxy-continuous morphology (45-46 vol.% ER). Considering cost, rotational viscosity-time dependence, and mechanical performance, an ER concentration of 43 vol.% (within the co-continuous region) is optimal for EABC production.

Indexed as

bond coatco-continuous structureepoxy asphaltphase inversionphase separation

Identifiers

PMID40942041
PMCPMC12430199

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.