Application of Atomic Force Microscope to Investigate the Surface Micro-Adhesion Properties of Asphalt

The surface energy and bonding coefficient of asphalt are important factors that affect the adhesion performance of asphalt/aggregate. In this study, the micro-bee-like-structure of asphalt and force curves between the microscope-probe and asphalt were measured via atomic force microscopy (AFM). To investigate the influence of asphalt properties on micro-adhesion of asphalt, five types of asphalt were used in four states: original, aged at 163 °C, immersed in water and added anti-stripping agent. The results demonstrate that the surface energy of grade 90 asphalt is greater than that of grade 70 asphalt when oil source is the same and that of modified asphalt is greater than matrix asphalt. The surface energies and bonding coefficients of asphalts decreased after aging and immersion. The surface energies of asphalts were greatly improved by adding anti-stripping agent and the bonding coefficients of the asphalts increased by 5.04–37.14% after adding an anti-stripping agent.