Relation of chemical composition to asphalt microstructure - Details and properties of micro-structures in bitumen as seen by thermal and friction force microscopy and by scanning near-filed optical microscopy

摘要

Bitumen and bituminous binders are a mixture of a wide variety of molecules with different size and nature; a-polar as well as polar, aromatic as well as aliphatic, chain-like as well as two-dimensional in nature. However, most of the bitumina display at ambient temperatures a spontaneous formation of micro-phases displaying different mechanical properties such as stiffness or adhesive behaviour. The actual chemical composition of the individual phases is still a matter/subject of discussion.