Effect of Bio-Inspired Polymer Types on Engineering Characteristics of Cement Composites

Cement concrete is the most commonly used building and construction material worldwide because of its many advantages. Over time, however, it develops cracks due to shrinkage and tension, which may lead to premature failure of the entire structure. Recently, the incorporation of polymers has been explored to improve the overall strength and durability of cement concrete. In this study, two types of chitosan-based bio-inspired polymers (a-BIP and b-BIP) were synthesized and mixed with cement mortar in different proportions (5–20%). The fluidity of the resulting mixtures and the properties of the hardened samples, such as the compressive and tensile strengths, drying shrinkage, and carbonation resistance, were evaluated. The characteristics of the polymers were tuned by varying the pH during their syntheses, and their structures were characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. After 28 days of aging, all samples containing BIPs (35.9–41.4 MPa) had noticeably higher compressive strength than the control sample (33.2 MPa). The tensile strength showed a similar improvement (up to 19.1%). Overall, the mechanical properties and durability of the samples were separately dependent on the type and amount of BIP.